Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department introduces new bomb-sniffing dog with Hard Rock Casino Rockford

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department has a new four-legged officer that specializes in sniffing out bombs and other scents to aid deputies.

Dice, a 1-year-old black labrador from Slovenia, was given a public introduction on Wednesday at Hard Rock Casino Rockford. The casino sponsored the new K-9 officer by paying the costs for Dice, his training and a specially equipped K-9 squad car. The total value is about $75,000, Sheriff Gary Caruana said.

Dice and Deputy Joel Carlsen, the dog’s handler and a member of the sheriff’s bomb squad, can be called to action in a variety of different law enforcement scenarios, Caruana said.

“We have a lot of different venues like the concerts in the summer and wherever, where if they need it we’ll use it,” Caruana said. “Even in Rockford, I talked with (Police Chief Carla Redd) this morning and said if you guys need it we’ll provide it and help you out.”

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The department has four other K-9 teams. They’re used for everything from narcotics detection to tracking missing persons, searching buildings and in the apprehension of suspects.

Hard Rock Casino Rockford President Geno Iafrate said the casino was proud to sponsor Dice, and it only asked for ability to name him in return. Initially, they wanted to call the dog Jackpot but a one-syllable name was needed for commands. Then, Iafrate said they considered naming the canine Rick after Rick Nielsen, but the department already has a high-ranking Rick in Chief Deputy Rick Ceganek.

The K-9 may be used at Hard Rock at times, but the goal was to provide the community with another law enforcement resource, Iafrate said.

“We did not specifically feel that we needed a bomb dog at the casino. We felt like it was more important for the community overall,” Iafrate said. “There will be some benefit periodically to the casino, but it wasn’t a donation to benefit the casino. It was really designed to benefit the community at large.”

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The duo of Dice and Carlsen gave a demonstration of the bomb dog’s abilities on Wednesday inside the Hard Rock Live venue, showcasing the canine’s high energy and eagerness to keep working a scene. During the demo, Dice sniffed out a training device hidden between the rows of the 1,600 retractable seats.

Dice and Carlsen, a 6-year veteran of the department, are on duty now after six weeks of training through the Kane County Sheriff’s K-9 Academy.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas