Crime & Safety
Meet K9 Jack, Northbrook's Only Police Dog
The Northbrook Police Department's only dog officer can sniff out drugs and track a human scent, all while playing with a ball.
Jack is a unique member of the Northbrook Police Department. In the last two years, he has uncovered more than 30 kilograms of illegal drugs. He doesn't even get paid.
Also, Jack is a dog, a Belgian Malinois and the Northbrook Police Department's only K9 officer.
Jack and his partner, Officer Jonathan Salmi, 33, work and live together all day. They help police department between Chicago and Gurnee find drugs and track suspects, and most of the time Jack just thinks he's playing with a ball.
"The ball is his favorite thing, most of the time that's what he's working for," Salmi said. "He's very social, friendly, loves to play. But when it's time to get to work, he's much more intense."
Jack was trained in the Netherlands to track drugs in practically any quantity, starting from as little as a gram. One time he sniffed out a van that was carrying 50 pounds of drugs, where police also recovered an AK-47 machine gun and Dessert Eagle pistol.
Jack can also track people based on the scent they leave as they walk and will even bite a suspect that is resisting police.
"If I'm in danger, he's trained to bite. That's the only time he's allowed to bite without command," Salmi said. "The choice of whether or not to get bit is up to the suspect."
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Jack is incredibly obedient though, instantly responds to commands once Salmi calls them out. If, for instance, Jack is tracking a suspect who decides to stop and surrender, the K9 will heel as soon as Salmi commands him to.
"What these dogs are capable of is pretty incredible," Salmi said. "By the nature of what he's capable of, he's going to be in more involved calls."
"Tracking is one of the more dangerous things an officer does," Salmi added.
Northbrook is Salmi's first police department, and his career in law enforcement started almost nine years ago as a standard patrol officer. In 2008, when there was an opening in the K9 unit, Salmi applied and got paired with Jack.
"I've always been a big, dog lover," Salmi said. "This really is the best job in law enforcement. My partner is my best friend and I get to spend all day with him."
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