10/02/2026
Congratulations Officer Molinelli and Buzz! 🐾🐾 We are excited to meet Buzz!!
Thank you for all you do for our community! We appreciate everyone in our Lake Forest Police Department!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸❤️❤️
There's a new K9 in town, Lake Forest! Meet Buzz. 🐾
After achieving her childhood dream of becoming a law enforcement officer in 2019, today Ashley Molinelli is one step closer to another dream: working with dogs through the Lake Forest Police Department K9 program.
“I absolutely love dogs … [and] I love proactive police work,” Molinelli said. “I think it's the best way to combine the two.”
Molinelli has served on patrol, making traffic stops and responding to calls ranging from car accidents to domestic issues. Now, as LFPD’s K9 officer, Molinelli will have new responsibilities in addition to a new schedule.
“The dog and I have to meet a monthly minimum of 16 training hours,” Molinelli said. “On top of that we can walk around cars [when other officers make stops] and search for drugs, and I can also respond to any calls for service in the area [that require a dog].”
After the retirement of K9 Chase in 2024, the LFPD has since sought to continue the valuable program. K9 dogs offer critical support to officers through their training in narcotic detection, tracking, searches and apprehension.
When Molinelli was informed about the K9 program, she submitted her resume along with a letter of interest, and she underwent formal interviews with the LFPD administration. Molinelli anticipates that she and her new German Shepherd will be ready by mid-November.
“The dogs are trained in obedience as well as narcotic and tracking work,” Molinelli said. “When I come in, I do eight weeks of intensive narcotic training and tracking work with the dog, as well as building a relationship.”
Officers and dogs are paired by what the officer’s respective agency is looking for, as well as personality. While Molinelli has only recently been paired with her dog, she is excited for the opportunity and prepared for the challenge.
“I have to read my dog in any little cue that they make, so I'm excited to learn about my dog and reading my dog to the point where I know everything about them,” said Molinelli, who added that will take about two years.
While Molinelli has gained a new partner, she has also added a new member to her family, as the dog will return home with her after each day.
Find more on the City's Lake Forest Love blog: https://www.lakeforestlove.com/post/new-k9-officer-achieves-dream-of-combining-work-with-pets
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘑𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺!
