Page 34 - FOP_Magazine_ February2019

SuperDogs
Department K9 officers join security detail for Super Bowl LIII
From left, Officer Mark Akana and partner Daisy, Officer Chuck Kocanda and partner Ficko and Officer Michelle Gonzalez and partner Daisy working a detail at the NFL Experience during Super Bowl week in Atlanta.
■ BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
Sports talk radio and social media overflowed in January with comments about how the Bears could have had a shot at Super Bowl LIII if Cody Parkey had made that field goal against the Ea- gles. Despite the double-doink, however, Chicago still could boast participation in the ultimate game with what could be called “Op- eration Cody Barkey.”
During the two weeks leading up to the Rams taking on the Pa- triots in the Super Bowl, three Chicago Police Department K9 of- ficers from Public Transportation Unit 74 played with the massive team covering security throughout Atlanta. CPD Officer Michelle Gonzalez and partner Daisy, Officer Chuck Kocanda and partner Ficko and Officer Mark Akana and partner Daisy were selected from volunteers in their unit to be part of details that ran round- the-clock sweeps at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and surrounding venues and secured the more than one million people who visit- ed Atlanta during Super Bowl week.
The Mass Transit explosive detection dogs represented Chi- cago among K9s and their handlers from every state in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Guam. They were part of a force of thousands of law enforcement officers in Atlanta, and the magnitude of the effort was not lost on the Chicago contingent.
“The biggest event we do in Chicago is probably the marathon, and this was like the marathon on steroids,” Gonzalez described. “It was an amazing feat.”
The reward for working Super Bowl security went far beyond anything the Chicago Police Officers imagined.
“Making people who came to the Super Bowl safe was the most important thing,” Gonzalez continued. “We had citizens coming up to us all the time to say, ‘Thanks for coming.’ We felt very hon- ored to have the opportunity to be part of this.”
The Chicago contingent was chosen based on seniority, and they brought more than 70 years of experience on the job to the super detail. Akana, who has 28 years on, has been with Daisy, a Belgian Malinois, since 2010.
Daisy will turn 11 this year and is approaching mandatory re- tirement, so she and Akana might go out together. Working the Super Bowl was somewhat of a culmination for them.
“There’s a great pride factor in representing the City of Chica-
34 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ FEBRUARY 2019