March 29, 2024
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Erie K-9 Nicom retires

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ERIE – German Shepherd Nicom, who has served as a police K-9 since 2014, officially retired from the Erie Police Department on Sept. 8.

Nicom will go from “detecting drugs, searching for evidence, chasing bad guys, and spending time with students in the schools, to boat rides, long walks and sleeping wherever he wants,” the department said.

Nicom started his career with the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Department in 2014 and joined the Erie department in June 2019 to be with his handler Police Chief Rollie Elder.

In his short time working in Erie, Nicom had a positive impact on both village officials and residents as a trusted member of the force.

“The Village of Erie is happy that we were able to have Nicom’s service,” Mayor Marcia Smith said.

Now Nicom will get to enjoy the good life with Elder, his wife Kelly, and their four children.

“Just like us, the time comes where the drive is there and the heart thinks it’s young, but the body says otherwise,” Elder wrote. “While Nicom is now in good health and able to enjoy himself, it was decided to take him out of service so he can spend the rest of his days with his family.”

Elder recounted some highlights and accomplishments throughout Nicom’s career. He once located 44 pounds of drugs in a hidden compartment on a truck traveling through Whiteside County; he located a suicidal subject in the Mississippi River who was able to be rescued; he was able to help calm an autistic child during a stressful situation, to the point she was receptive to the help everyone was trying to provide; and he tracked down three burglary suspects who wrecked a truck and fled into the woods.

There was also a time his handler was in an altercation trying to arrest a resisting felon, and Nicom ended it quickly, once he was deployed from the squad car.

On the softer side, Nicom performed K-9 demonstrations for numerous organizations, touching thousands of lives along the way. He was known to be at area schools at the start of the day, with students allowed to pet him as they walked inside.

He took many trips to nursing homes and assisted living facilities, walking the hallways to meet with the residents and bring out the smiles.

He has been a comfort dog and a friend to many, and his service to the community will be missed.

“What he’s done is amazing, and so versatile, from the social aspect, to community relations, to police work,” Elder said. “I could go on about the many ways Nicom has served the citizens of Whiteside County, but what I will tell you is this: Nicom is special and he is also my best friend. He is going to live at home with his family and enjoy retirement.”