HR0682 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0682 LRB099 13561 MST 37505 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Sari, a German Shepherd, was born on October 9, 2002 in Budapest, Hungary; she came to the United States on April 5, 2005; and

WHEREAS, Sari trained at the Rudy Dexler School for Dogs in Elkhart, Indiana, where she was partnered with Jim Lansing from the Monroe County Sheriff's Department; together they received their K-9 certification on July 29, 2005 and entered into service at the sheriff's department on August 1, 2005; and

WHEREAS, For a decade, Sari faithfully served the people of Monroe County, making numerous public appearances and receiving awards and accolades too numerous to list; and

WHEREAS, Sari was renowned for her tracking skills, such as tracking 4-year-old Ella Black in October of 2014 after she wandered into a soybean field; she also assisted with the Coleman murders in Columbia and the Baxmeyer drownings; and

WHEREAS, Trained to detect cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, oxycontin, methamphetamine, and cannabis, Sari has a documented detection of each; she was responsible for uncovering 65 pounds of cannabis in a drug bust in 2011; and

WHEREAS, Sari was set to retire from active service on August 1, 2015, 10 years to the day after beginning her service with the Monroe County Sheriff's Department, and was to pass the torch on to new K-9 dogs Kondor and Reggie; and

WHEREAS, Over her 10 years of service, Sari became a beloved member of the Monroe County community; and

WHEREAS, On July 20, 2015, Sari passed away from complications from a liver tumor; she spent her last moments alongside her faithful companion and partner of 10 years, Lt. Lansing; and

WHEREAS, Instead of a retirement party, the Monroe County Sheriff's Department will instead be giving their furry officer a final goodbye at her funeral on August 1, 2015; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, along with the Monroe County Sheriff's Department and all the citizens of Monroe County, mourn the passing of police dog, Sari, and extend our sincere condolences to all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to her faithful partner Lt. Lansing and the Monroe County Sheriff's Department as an expression of our deepest sympathy.