Orland Park is looking for the next Leo.
Leo, a Labrador retriever therapy dog who has served the village and Orland Park Police Department since September 2021, parted ways with the village after his handler, Rich Miller, resigned as a part-time civilian employee with the department.
Miller and the village thought it would be best for Leo to stay with Miller in his future endeavors and the village is on the lookout for a new dog and handler.
“As is common practice for the village, as well as many other law enforcement agencies, in order to not separate the dog from its handler, the village formally sold Leo to his handler on June 20 for $1,” Orland Park Police Chief Eric Rossi said at the village’s July 7 Committee of the Whole meeting.
The board voted to continue the program and Rossi said a new therapy dog will be assigned to a sworn police officer as opposed to a civilian staff member.
Rossi said the village has been in contact with Tails of Redemption, a program offered by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, to obtain a new dog. He added that he hopes the new dog will meet the public on Aug. 5 during the department’s National Night Out event.
Miller and Leo have provided relief and comfort to police officers and residents in the village as well as those outside the village as well.
“This dynamic duo helped comfort hundreds of people during the worst and the most traumatic times in their lives,” Orland Park Trustee Cynthia Nelson Katsenes said.
She added that a resident recently had a mother who was dying and requested to meet with Leo.
“Rich and Leo answered the call,” Katsenes said. “They have been there for countless officers — fallen officers and their families. When Rich and Leo would walk in, it would change their moods.
“This is going to be a tough act to follow.”
On his Facebook page, Miller said he was “deeply grateful” to serve the village for close to 30 years and said that the program has been a “model across the nation.”
There had been some behind-the-scenes issues between Miller and the new administration that took over in May and Miller said even though he is working full-time in another job, he was able to handle the village’s workload with Leo.
“Contrary to what has been stated, the issue was not about my ability to continue fulfilling my part-time duties with Leo,” Miller wrote. “The questions raised by the village were about my ability to complete the required hours as a part-time police officer, separate from my work with Leo.
“For clarity, I had hoped that my continued time with the village could remain focused solely on my work with Leo and I would respectfully ask the village not to speak for me.”
Mayor James Dodge said after the June 7 meeting that there have been a lot of “fabrications” online about the situation.
“It’s a matter of public record that he (Miller) said he is resigning his part-time position because it didn’t work with everything else that he had,” Dodge said. “That’s why we’re going down this pathway to make this change.
“It’s nothing more complicated than that.”