K9 deputy laid to rest Dec. 10
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
For the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department and neighboring law enforcement agencies, Klaus was more than a dog, but an officer and companion.
Klaus, who served the community with sheriff’s deputy John Lanctot, was euthanized Nov. 28 after a sudden illness.
Lanctot started working with Klaus, born in Germany in February 2010, at Tops Kennel in Grayslake, Ill., in September 2011 and two months later started serving the department as a team.
The illness was discovered Nov. 27, when a veterinarian determined Klaus suffered internal bleeding and had masses on his spleen.
Including deputy Lanctot, authorities from several law enforcement agencies honored Klaus in a Saturday morning service held at the Wisconsin Veterinary Resource Clinic in Mt. Pleasant.
Kenosha County Chief Deputy Marc Levin stated Klaus and Lanctot formed an ideal team working along the Interstate 94 corridor.
“Over the course of their career together, K9 Klaus and Deputy Lanctot patrolled Kenosha County responding to hundreds of drug searches, missing persons, and fleeing suspects,” Levin said. “K9 Klaus was integral in numerous seizures of illegal drugs and illicit drugs… along the I-94 corridor.”
As they formed an integral team, Klaus and Lanctot also participated in more than 50 public demonstrations, including the Kenosha County Fair and some area schools in Western Kenosha County.
“We did the Kenosha County Fair for a number of years, grade schools out there, narcotics searches,” said Lanctot, noting Salem Grade and Trevor-Wilmot Consolidated schools as two schools they visited.
In a statement by Sheriff’s Chaplain Timothy Blackburn at the service, Klaus’ accomplishments extend beyond arrests, noting what he could have prevented.
“(It’s) harder to measure what did not happen because of Klaus,” Blackburn said. “How many students did not get addicted to drugs because Klaus stopped the marijuana before it was delivered…how many moms did not lose their marriage because Klaus discovered the crack cocaine before it was sold.”
When they were not on duty, Lanctot brought Klaus home, where he lives with his wife, his 4-year-old twins and an adult child.
According to Ericka, Lanctot’s wife, behind Klaus’ crime-fighting skills, the German shepherd was a gentle soul.
“He was such a sweet boy, he would curl up by my side,” Ericka said. “He was such a huge animal and sat on my lap. It was kind of funny to see that.”
Following the service, deputy Lanctot said he planned to buried Klaus at his family cabin in Forest County, near Crandon.
“He enjoyed it up there,” said Lanctot.
Along with the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department, representatives from Wisconsin State Patrol, Racine County Sheriff’s Department, Sturtevant and Mt. Pleasant Police and agencies from Illinois honored Klaus.