The village of Campton Hills is formally introducing its new K-9 partner, Koda, who was officially sworn in Tuesday (July 16, 2019) at the Campton Hill Village Board meeting.

Prior to becoming a team, Koda received three months of pre-training with nationally recognized master trainers at Tops Kennels in Grayslake, IL. Tops is recognized as a leader in police K-9 training and used by many law enforcement agencies throughout the Midwest.

Koda, teamed with Campton Hills police officer James Levand, completed an additional nine weeks of specialized training with the instructors at Tops.

Koda is a 94-pound male, German Shepard from Czechoslovakia, who turned 2 on June 8.  Koda is a dual-purpose working dog, trained in many areas, including tracking, narcotics detection, article searches and apprehension.

During the initial nine weeks of training, the K-9 team received certifications in:  obedience, tracking, article searches, obstacle course and narcotics detection. The training was extensive and attempted to include every scenario a K-9 team may face while on duty.

Koda has adapted well in his new home with Levand and his family. Koda’s wonderful demeanor has made the transition between home and work an easy one, Levand said.

Levand and Koda are sincerely thanking members of the community who gave their financial support to bring the K-9 Unit to the Village of Campton Hills.

During a fundraising campaign, Levand was instrumental in raising more than $28,000 to allow CHPD to afford starting up the K-9 unit.

Among Levand’s efforts was locating and obtaining a 2013 Chevy Tahoe, which was then fully equipped with all necessary police and safety equipment to be used as a K-9 Unit vehicle.

SOURCE: village of Campton Hills news release