Plainfield Welcomes New K-9 Cop

He's only been on the job a few weeks, but Plainfield's newest police officer is already earning his keep.

Kody, an 18-month German shepherd, is part of the Plainfield Police Department's recently added second K-9 unit. Since starting work on May 24, he has recovered more than 1,100 grams of marijuana, 241 grams of psychedelic mushrooms, $9,200 in drug money and two guns, according to Chief John Konopek.

"He's almost already paid for himself," said his handler, Officer Tracy Caliendo. The Plainfield Police Department used drug asset forfeiture funds to pay for Kody, who was matched with Caliendo by Shallow Creek Kennels in Pennsylvania.

Caliendo said the department spent about $13,000 on Kody, including an intensive six-week training for her and her new canine partner.

The dog was brought to the U.S. from the Netherlands and only responds to commands given in Dutch, Caliendo said. The pooch is trained in narcotics detection, handler protection, suspect apprehension and tracking. She said the dog comes in handy when it comes to searching an area for items that might have been discarded by a fleeing suspect, like a gun or a cell phone.

"If we're searching a huge field, what would take us hours to search, he can do in probably five minutes," Caliendo said.

But the young pooch is not all business, Caliendo said. 

"We wanted more of a social dog," she said, saying the staff at Shallow Creek Kennels worked to match her with a K-9 that isn't dog-aggressive and is friendly with people. "[We were matched] personality wise — we're both laid back, social," she said.

In addition to sniffing out drugs and taking down bad guys, Kody will be part of community police work, taking part in D.A.R.E. graduations and greeting residents at events like the Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce's Cruise Nights, Caliendo said.

A former Marine, Caliendo said in some ways, her training as Kody's handler was tougher than her U.S. Marine Corps training. 

"They want to instill stress in you because that's what it's going to be like out on the street," she said. "We're almost the ones being trained, not the dogs."

Caliendo isn't the first K-9 handler in the family. Husband Jim Caliendo, a retired Plainfield police officer, was the handler for Foster, who served the police department from 1997 to 2006. She said although Kody sleeps in a kennel, he now shares her home, along with her two young children and the family's two other German shepherds.

"It's exciting work," she said of her new role as a K-9 handler — but noted it can be exhausting. "It's like raising a child. I'm trying to entertain a 2-year-old, basically."

And there's little downtime.

"Even on my days off, I'm training with him," Caliendo said. "It's not like a family dog, where I can say, 'It's our day off — lay down ... [The training] is something where if you don't practice it, you lose it."

In addition to their six-week stint in Pennsylvania, Caliendo and Kody will undergo training here at home two times each month.

"It's go, go, go. He's a reflection of our work," she said. "They say a dog's only as good as its handler."

Caliendo and Kody graduated from training on May 17, joining Plainfield police dog Aron and handler Officer Brian Wagner to become the department's second K-9 unit.

"[Kody] is by no means a replacement for Aron," Caliendo said. "We decided to use asset forfeiture money for something positive." 

Having a second K-9 unit means there is always a police dog on duty in Plainfield, she said. It also means a K-9 unit will remain in place when Aron retires in the next few years.

Caliendo said most police dogs work for about eight years before retiring, although some are on duty for as long as 10 years. She hopes Kody has a long future ahead of him at the Plainfield police department. When he retires, she said she'lll purchase the dog from the police department for a nominal fee — the Caliendos paid $1 for Foster upon his retirement — and he'll remain a part of the family.