510 ILCS 81/5: General Assembly findings.

The General Assembly finds that:

(1) police dogs are an integral part of many law enforcement and correctional efforts statewide, including the apprehension of suspects through tracking and searching, evidence location, drug and bomb detection, and search and rescue operations;

(2) law enforcement and correctional agencies agree that the use of police dogs is an extremely cost-effective means of crime control and that police dogs possess skills and abilities that frequently exceed those of existing technology;

(3) the service of police dogs is often dangerous and can expose them to injury at a rate higher than that of non-service dogs; and

(4) police dogs provide significant contributions to the residents of this State.