 Memorials
to Fallen K-9s 2005 page 03 The F.A.S.T. Co. donates sets of memorial cards to all partners I need your help to inform me of such losses. |
Dept. addresses available for those who want to send condolences to officers. See below
Late entry In Loving Memory of K-9 PEPSIE May 15, 2004  Partner: Athens, OH
PEPSIE FOREVER A HERO You are lean, hard & strong Your movements deliberate & swift Your eyes sharply focused, fearless & bright You were born to work the night Your training, long and hard Full of blood, sweat & tears Your potential infinite You are one of a kind You are trustworthy, loyal & brave You are quick to react Always ready to fight, serve & protect You stand strong in the face of danger & chaos Together we stand tall & confident Side by side Guardians of the night Defenders of the day People look at you with awe & fear They think I’m crazy to hold you near Because you are tough, I appreciate you more You are my partner, my protector, my friend, my son GOD needs an Angel to stand by him at the gate of heaven Our time together on earth has come to an end I keep a part of you in me Everywhere I am, there you will be One day we will be reunited Until then stand still & proud Know you made a difference in the lives you touched YOU WERE A ONCE IN A LIFETIME GIFT FROM GOD & FOREVER MY HERO! |
On
May 15,2004 my police K-9, Pepsie, passed away
from complications related to the Chemotherapy he was receiving
for a tumor in his chest. Pepsie was diagnosed with Cancer in
late February 2004, and worked right up his untimely death, he would
have had it no other way. Pepsie and I were united as a K-9
team in June of 1997. He was a 1 year old Belgian Malinois, and
was tough as they come. My trainer offered multiple times to get
me a K-9 that was easier for me to handle. You see, in the world
of K-9's, you don't see too many women handling a dog of his caliber
and toughness. I saw his potential and was determined to bring
out his full potential. Pepsie faithfully served
the Athens Police Dept. and was
utilized 1,321 times, was responsible for 392 arrests for narcotics
violations and suspect apprehensions for various felonies. K-9
Pepsie never thought of the risks involved in his duties, and he never
showed fear in the line of duty, even though he was asked to perform
his duties in potentially hazardous situations. On 5/7/04
K-9 Pepsie was deployed for his final apprehension. He was called
upon to locate a suspect that fled from Athens County Sheriff's
Deputies into a dark wooded area. It was unknown if the suspect
was armed. A deputy pointed in the direction he thought the
suspect ran, up a hill in the woods. K-9 Pepsie searched
around that area not picking up any scent. I re-started him at
the bottom of the hill and allowed him to search wherever he
wanted. Pepsie searched with his head up crashing fearlessly
through dense brush in the opposite direction the deputy had reported
the suspect running. Pepsie located the suspect lying motionless,
face down in a ditch line with his hands tucked under him. As
soon as Pepsie started barking, the suspect gave up and was totally
compliant with officers, yelling that he did not want bit. This
was the 3rd suspect that had given up when faced with Pepsie,
after he had been diagnosed with Cancer. Pepsie
was the most successful police K-9 in our
area. In 1999 he was responsible for the largest one time seizure
of LSD ever in the State of Ohio, with 16,200 hits. He was
responsible for the overall seizure of over 23,000 hits of LSD for the
year. He won the USPCA district 5 catch of the month for that
seizure. He won catch of the month for a seizure of over 74
pounds of Marijuana and 3 ounces of Cocaine that lead to the seizure of
over 4 million dollars in assets. Pepsie was
responsible for taking hundreds of pounds of
Marijuana and various other drugs off the streets of his community
during his career. He was also responsible for the
apprehension of over a dozen of felony suspects. Pepsie
kept me and his fellow officers safe. When suspects were fighting
or thinking of fighting with officers, as soon as the thundering bark
of Pepsie was on scene they decided to become submissive. One
Ohio Dept. of Public Safety officer summed it up after learning of
Pepsi's death, "That dog saved my tail on more than one occasion over
the years, and for that I'll never forget him!" Pepsie
was beloved by everyone who met him. Pepsie
was a "king" among police K-9's. Many handlers, to this day,
brag about how incredible a dog Pepsie was and strive to have their
k-9's work at the caliber Pepsie worked. He was a sweet prince
when it came to children, and he met and played with thousands.
He was always getting letters from children, including after he was
diagnosed with Cancer. Pepsie never met a stranger, and if you
were afraid of dogs, he made it his mission to change your mind, and
always did. Our dept. DARE officer said children cried when they
heard of his passing. I received hundreds of letters from
children, community members and people who had never met Pepsie, only
heard of him through other K-9 Handlers. Our
community is very liberal, and when K-9's were first
introduced into the community, there was a lot of negative
feelings. Pepsie through his hard work, dedication and love for
his community turned that opinion around in the end. So much so,
that community members and businesses wanted to donate money to replace
him. Ultimately, Petland, donated the money that was
used to purchase my new K-9, Jersey in July, 2004. I believe that
Pepsie sent me Jersey. Jersey is a very smart dog, and I
believe he will be very successful, and give his all to fill the paw
prints left by Pepsie. It is so nice to have
people like you, to care about the
most dedicated law enforcement officers GOD ever created, K-9's.
It has been 8 months since I lost my partner, it doesn't get any easier
to talk about, but it helps to share his memory with others.
Thank You so very much for caring for our heroes! I have included
a photo of Pepsie and a poem I wrote him after his death.
K & J
* Aug. 2004, the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association presented me with an award for Pepsie for his service to his community and especially his impact on the children in the community.
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In Loving Memory of K-9 MISHA January 23, 2005  Partner: Officer Mary Davis Montgomery County Police Department K-9 Unit Special Operations Division 9125 A Gaither Rd Gaithersburg, MD 20877
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REGION THREE'S 2003 PATROL CASE OF THE YEAR On August 13, 2003 shortly after midnight, Montgomery County, MD Police Officer Kyle Olinger stopped a suspicious vehicle containing three subjects in Silver Spring, MD. Shortly before this stop, Officer Olinger had confronted a lone subject who was seated in the same vehicle while it was parked. Officer Olinger had the driver exit the car and was questioning him at the rear of the car when his attention was drawn to movement inside the car. He went to the passenger side of the car, confronted the front passenger, drew his weapon and was then shot by one of the subjects in the car. The driver got in the car and all three subjects drove off, leaving Officer Olinger critically wounded on the sidewalk. A radio lookout was broadcast for the car and scores of police units responded to the area. Fifteen minutes later, units found the car in a residential area approximately 1 ½ miles from the original scene. The car was unoccupied. One suspect was immediately spotted walking in the neighborhood and was taken into custody. Witnesses reported seeing several males leave the car and walk north. Officer Mary Davis and K9 Misha of the Montgomery County, MD Police arrived. Officer Davis and K9 Misha, with two SWAT officers, initiated a track at the end of the street heading into a wood line adjacent to Interstate 495. Misha tracked in a westerly direction for 50 - 60 yards and then cut back toward the residential area and tracked along front yards on a dead end street. At that point, "Misha" began to indicate that he was close to the suspects and a canine warning was given. After receiving no response to the warning, Officer Davis allowed Misha to continue forward. Misha went into the trees and found a white T-shirt. He then continued tracking and turned north along a privacy fence of a residence. Officer Davis then observed two suspects lying face down with their hands concealed beneath them. Misha was released to apprehend them and bit one of the suspect's on the right leg. The second suspect then moved and "Misha" released his bite on the first suspect and bit the second suspect on the right arm. "Misha" then released and returned to the first suspect. Both back-up officers moved in to control the suspects and "Misha" was removed from the bite. Numerous officers were needed to safely handcuff the suspects. The T-shirt was recovered and a chrome handgun and wallet were wrapped in it. Both suspects were arrested and several other items in addition to the handgun were seized that were linked back to the shooting. Two of the three suspects were indicted by a Grand Jury on charges including "Attempted First Degree Murder, First degree assault, Use Of A Handgun and Disarming A Law Enforcement Officer." Officer Olinger was struck in the neck by a single shot and remains paralyzed from the chest down. He is currently being treated in a rehabilitation facility. Anyone who would like to make a monetary contribution can send a check to: The Kyle Olinger Fund, C/O The Montgomery County Police Foundation, PO Box 8351, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20898 Checks should be made payable to The Montgomery County Police Foundation, with a notation on the bottom left corner of the check that it is for the Kyle Olinger Fund. submitted by John Seilbach  |
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| In Loving Memory
of K-9 GORBY Gorby vom Hochstadter Wappen Oct. 7, 1993 - January 19, 2005  Partner: Det. Sgt Chris Delmonte Bridgewater Police Dept. 220 Pleasant St. Bridgewater, MA 02324 Bus. 508.697-6118 Det. Bureau 508.279-1111 On the back of the baseball cards I used to give to the kids was a poem: THE POLICE DOG My eyes are your eyes to watch and protect you and yours, My ears are your ears to hear and detect evil minds in the dark, My nose is your nose to scent the invader of your domain, And so you may live, My life is yours. - Anonymous |
Gorby died on January 19, 2005
following the discovery of a tumor on his heart and spleen. He
was 11 years old at the time, and had served the Bridgewater Police
Department for 8 years.
Certifications Titled SchH2 in 1995 Rated Korklasse 1 Graduate: Police Canine Patrol Academy November 1996 - March 1997 Graduate:- Police Canine Narcotics Academy October 1997 - December 1997 Handler: Sergeant Christopher Delmonte Shift Assignment: 12:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. Gorby is also a member of the department's elite Special Response Team. K-9 Gorby began his service with the Bridgewater Police Department in October of 1996, after moving from his previous home in West Germany. We then started with 16 weeks of basic canine patrol training, under the direction of Capt. James Ballinger (Ret.) and Lt. Kenneth Ballinger at the Plymouth County Canine Training Center. Following several months of on-the-job experience, we returned to Plymouth for 8 more weeks of narcotics detection training in the fall of 1997. Over the course of the next several years, we supported patrol and detectives during the hours of 8am-4pm, 8pm-4am, and midnight - 8am. K-9 Gorby was assigned as a member of the Special Response Team to provide early detection and perimeter control at critical incidents. He was also assigned as a member of the WEB Major Crimes and Drug Task Force, and provided narcotics detection services as well as unmarked criminal apprehension support. During his 8 years of service, K-9 Gorby participated in hundreds of area searches/tracks, crowd control disturbances, narcotics searches, public demonstrations/parades, building searches, criminal apprehensions/missing persons, arrest warrant services, and assisted over 20 different federal, state, county, and local law enforcement agencies from the area. At 11 years old, K-9 Gorby was actively working until the discovery of two advanced tumors on his heart and spleen on January 19, 2005. K-9 Gorby lived at home with his handler, and the rest of his family. He served with distinction at work, and was cherished at home. He will be missed. submitted by Kathy Hinds |
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| In
Loving Memory of K-9 NIKO January 25, 2005  Partner: Lt. Wayne Nieberg Charlotte County Sheriff Office 7474 Utilities Rd. Punta Gorda, FL 33982 941.639-2101 |
The Charlotte
County Canine Unit has seven cross trained patrol/narcotic teams, one
patrol/explosive team and one bloodhound. Our goal is to provide
support for the road patrol in all aspects of law enforcement. We are
available to all members of the sheriff's office whether it be for
patrol, narcotics, explosives or tracking with the bloodhound.
Jan 25, 2005 - Retired Charlotte County Sheriff's K-9 "Niko" passed away today at the age of 13. His partner, Lt. Wayne Nieberg, said Niko had a distinguished career serving the citizens of Charlotte County from January 1994 until his retirement in January 2004 last year. Niko was born in 1992. Sheriff John Davenport said Niko will be long remembered as a valued member of our agency, especially the K-9 Unit and Lt. Nieberg. Just one of many Niko's accomplishments: NCEA Member 686 & K-9 Partner, Niko, Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, FL seized 51.8 pounds of marijuana. 27200 Jones Loop Road (East of I-75 Exit-161) at 3:00 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 26) 2005 submitted by Dusty Simon |
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