Memorials to Fallen K-9s
prior
to 2000
F.A.S.T.
Co. donates sets of memorial cards to all partners
of
all working dogs/horses
|
In
Loving Memory of
K-9
SOLO LODD
June 5,
1998
Partner: Robin
Eckel
Monmouth
County Sheriff's Office
(732)
431-7138
50
East Main Street Freehold, New Jersey 07728
My
first set of cards sent June , 1998 - never heard from anyone
|
Police
Dog Solo Siege lasts 22 hours in shore town.
Saturday,
June 6, 1998
By
DON STANCAVISH - and TERESA M. McALEAVY, Staff Writers
Emi
Marmorstein has lived in a sprawling colonial-style house in this summer
resort town for 48 years. In that time, nothing that has happened on the
quiet side street a few blocks from the Atlantic Ocean rivaled the drama
that played out Thursday and Friday. Marmorstein and many other residents
were ordered to lock their doors and stay inside as police squared off
with an armed-robbery suspect -- one suspected of having ties to fugitive
cop-killer Joanne Chesimard and the Black Liberation Army -- who barricaded
himself in a Newark Avenue apartment. After police bombarded him with a
water cannon, stun grenades, and tear gas, and after he reportedly gunned
down a police dog, Donald Bunting, 48, finally surrendered Friday.
"I
found out it was over because they let me out of my home," Marmorstein
said. "What an ordeal!" By 2 p.m. Friday, Marmorstein had joined throngs
of people from his neighborhood to swap stories about the chilling 22-hour
standoff. It was scary," said Donna Malone, who lives next door to the
squat, red-brick apartment building where Bunting took cover. "This was
quite an experience."
A
state police spokesman said Bunting has ties to the Black Liberation Army
and has "maintained periodic contact" with Chesimard. n 1977, Chesimard,
who uses the name Assata Shakur, was convicted of killing Trooper Werner
Foerster and injuring another trooper who stopped her and two friends on
the New Jersey Turnpike in 1973. Chesimard escaped from a state prison
in 1979 and has been living in exile in Cuba. Bunting himself had been
a fugitive since Monday, when he and LeRoy Adams, 53, allegedly attemped
to rob the occupants of an Asbury Park home and then exchanged gunfire
with police, officials said. Jones was caught, but Bunting escaped, police
said. On Thursday, police received word that Bunting was hiding out in
the apartment at 319 Newark Ave., where he has been a "periodic resident,"
police said. Thursday afternoon, a Monmouth County emergency response team
cordoned off a block of Newark Avenue and ordered some nearby residents
to stay inside. A few were evacuated, and others who weren't home when
authorities set up their barricades were barred from returning. Malone
and her parents stayed with neighbors after being evacuated Thursday night.
Emergency response workers had to sneak back into the Malone residence
during the night to retrieve her father's heart medication. Later Thursday,
state police arrived. By nightfall, officials realized the building's phone
lines had been snipped from inside. Through Thursday night and Friday morning,
police -- and later, Bunting's cousin -- used a bullhorn to unsuccessfully
try to talk him out. "This morning, at 6:30 a.m., we heard a big boom,"
Malone said. State police later explained that the noise was a tear-gas
bomb going off. Police said Bunting endured an estimated 50 barrages of
tear gas, as well as the deafening noise and blinding light of stun grenades.
"He had barricaded the furniture and he withstood the tear gas" using a
makeshift gas mask of wet towels and a carpenter's mask, said Alton Kenney,
first assistant Monmouth County prosecutor. "It was a siege . . . and we
were prepared to wait as long as it took to get him out." At about 8:30
Friday morning, officials sent Solo, a German shepherd from the Monmouth
County Sheriff's Department, into the building. Two shots were fired and
the dog was killed, Hagerty said. Authorities also used water from nearby
Fletcher Lake to try to flush out the suspect. Officials sprayed high-powered
hoses through the front door and second-floor windows early Friday afternoon.
"These hoses apparently led Mr. Bunting to consider surrendering," said
state police spokesman John Hagerty. The final surrender came after officers
drove an armored personnel carrier up to the apartment building and used
explosives to blow open the downstairs door. Inside the doorway, they placed
a robot with a video camera. The robot also had a microphone that police
used to communicate with Bunting. At 1:50 p.m., he surrendered peacefully.
Throughout
the standoff, "he acted in a paramilitary fashion. He never exposed himself
to open fire; he remained calm throughout,"
continue ---.>
|
|
Kenney
said. unting was transported to the Monmouth County Jail in Freehold, where
he was being held without bail. Police say he had been convicted in 1989
of drug charges and was in a state prison from 1989 to 1994. As police
and emergency personnel dismantled the barricades around Newark Avenue,
a cluster of neighbors gathered on a nearby street corner. Among them was
a woman pushing a baby carriage. "It was a long night," said the woman,
who had to sleep at a neighbor's house Thursday night. If there was a silver
lining, she said, it's that the standoff and evacuation drew the neighborhood
closer. "We all stayed together," she said.
Service was
held on June 10th 1998
in Freehold
NJ
Police
officers wait in line for their turn to pay last respects to Solo, a slain
K-9 dog. photo by NOAH K. MURRAY
K-9
dog Solo eulogized as 1,000 mourners pay respects
Published
in the Asbury Park Press 6/11/98
By
SHERI TABACHNIK - STAFF WRITER
When
Sheriff's Officer Robin Eckel sent his police dog to apprehend a Bradley
Beach man during a standoff Friday, he feared he'd never see his four-legged
partner again.
Yesterday,
K-9 Solo was laid to rest. About 1,000 law enforcement officers and family
members attended a memorial service for the 4-year-old German shepherd
at the Monmouth County Police Academy. More than 100 handlers from four
states brought their dogs and marched them one by one in front of Solo's
white casket. Emerald Society of Ocean County, a bagpipe band consisting
of law enforcement officers, played "Amazing Grace." A wreath made of brown-tinted
flowers, shaped like a German shepherd's face, stood in the background.
Solo was shot to death Friday while trying to apprehend Sekou Taiwo Tyehimba,
a suspect in a June 1 Asbury Park armed robbery who had barricaded himself
inside his apartment. Tyehimba, 48, who legally changed his name from Donald
Bunting, is also a member of the Black Liberation Army, a violent and radical
separatist group from the 1960s, police have said. "Anyone who has ever
lost a pet can begin to appreciate the pain and sorrow which is visibly
evident here today," Monmouth County Sheriff Joseph W. Oxley said in his
eulogy. "However, few citizens know how great the bond is between a police
officer and their dog. "Every law enforcement officer who works with a
police dog is keenly aware of the unconditional loyalty of their K-9 partner,"
Oxley said. "Today we feel a void that cannot be filled." Eckel, who blinked
back tears throughout the ceremony, escorted his wife, Dawn Eckel, and
their 3-year-old daughter, Carli, to Solo's casket. Mrs. Eckel replaced
an American flag atop the casket with a bouquet of three carnations, one
red, one white and one blue, and a strand of dog biscuits. She left carrying
the flag. A few hours later, eight sheriff's officers, including Eckel,
buried Solo next to the academy's memorial for fallen officers.
"My
husband called me from Bradley Beach at 7:30 a.m. (Friday) to say that
state police asked him to send the dog in and he told me he was supposed
to lead the dog in," said Dawn Eckel, who is expecting the couple's second
child on June 25. "I cried and screamed, 'Don't go in.' He was crying,
too. He knew there was a 95 percent chance that Solo wouldn't come out
alive." But Eckel knew there was no choice. Apprehending suspects was the
work Solo was trained to do. At 8:45 a.m., Eckel led Solo to the front
of Apartment 7 of 319 Newark Ave., where Solo licked his handler's face,
and then alone entered to confront Tyehimba. A few seconds later, police
heard two shots. One pierced Solo's skull. He died instantly.
Solo
died from a gunshot that hit him above his left eye, said Sherwood M. Gloth,
a veterinarian with VCA Freehold Animal Hospital, here. Gloth, veterinarian
for all of the sheriff's department's dogs, performed Solo's autopsy Saturday.Solo
didn't suffer, Gloth said. "I love animals, but probably this dog saved
a policeman's life," Gloth said. "That's what this dog is trained for and
that's what his job was. It's probably better than losing a human life."
Solo had been on the force for two years, trained as both a tracker and
a general patrol dog. In 1997, he aided in locating 16 criminals and 19
missing people. Local businesses, the Fraternal Order of Police and the
Policemen's Benevolent Association paid for the service. Higgins Funeral
Home, Freehold, donated the casket. Flower Market, Freehold, provided two
wreaths. Tyehimba is in New Jersey State Prison, Trenton, in lieu of $810,000
bail. Monmouth County Jail, Freehold Township, where Tyehimba had been
incarcerated until Tuesday, had mistakenly reported his bail at $610,000,
First Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Alton D. Kenney said.
|
In
Loving Memory of
K-9
ARGO
LODD
October
3, 1998
Partner: Officer
Brad Thompson
Ft.
Worth Police Dept. TX
350
W. Belknap St.
Ft.
Worth, TX 76102
Brad's
website
Present
K-9 ARKO
|
Argo
on the LODD section of the website, Argo, 1998, Ft Worth TX. He was
killed during a search for a suspect who the day before had shot a State
Trooper during a traffic stop. K-9 Argo on point had lead us into
a heavily wooded area and led to to the suspects location. Upon contact
with the suspect he immediately took the team under fire catching Argo
in the throat with the first round dropping him, rounds 2 and 3 hit my
thigh and chest before I got my first round off back into the suspect.
Although fatality wounded Argo then got back up and again charged the suspect.
I had Argo on long line so I immediately pulled him back to me and placed
him in a down behind me placing my body between him and the gunman in an
attempt to protect him as he had done for me moments earlier. In
the ensuing gunbattle the suspect was killed. We immediatley loaded
Argo into a patrol unit and took him to the vet where despite our efforts
he died the following morning. The only consulation was that Argo
died doing what he loved doing and in the arms of the person who he loved
enough to do it for.
I
have been an officer for 15 years working such assignments as Patrol, Narcotics,
Gang Enforcement, Directed Patrol/Tactical, community services and K9.
I am a certified Tactical (SWAT) Officer, Tactical Tracker and Defensive
Tactics Instructor. I have had the privledge of training with such
units as the German Bundesgrenzschutz GSG9 (Germany's premier counterterrorist
unit), the Specialeinsatzkommando (SEK) which is a German State Police
Swat Team in Northern Germany as well. My latest privledge has been
the Tactical Tracking course taught by former Rhodesian SAS Officer David
Scott-Donelan who commanded the Rhodesian Tracking School overseeing all
TCU's (Tracker Combat Units). 30 years fighting terrorists in the
bush of SW Africa has made this man a legend and it was my honor to learn
from him.
|
In Loving Memory
of
K-9
RECON
LODD
March
17, 1998
Partner:
Jim Gibson
Snohomish County
Sheriff's Office
WA
|
Moments
after capturing an alleged drug dealer who tried to flee authorities Tuesday
night, a Snohomish County Sheriff's K-9 dog wandered into freeway traffic
and was struck and killed. Now deputies are trying to determine if the
suspect they arrested hurt the 3-year-old German shepherd named Recon,
causing the dog to become confused. The incident happened between
6:30 and 7:30 p.m. on I-5 near 44th Street in Lynnwood. Recon and
his handler, sheriff's deputy Jim Gibson, were assisting the Snohomish
Regional Narcotics Task Force in a drug bust at a nearby park-and-ride
lot when the suspect broke loose. The suspect, an Alaska man, ran off,
climbed a 7-foot fence and crossed six lanes of freeway traffic, before
the dog was able to catch and stop him. Gibson, arrived a short time
later and called the 3-year-old dog away from the man. "(Recon) just looked
like he was dazed ... like I've never seen him before," Gibson said, adding
he thinks his partner may have been choked before roaming into traffic.
"It's like losing a son," Gibson said of the dog, who had lived with his
family for more than a year. It's also like losing a deputy, Sheriff Rick
Bart said. "In every way I considered Recon one of my deputies. I will
aggressively look for a charge against this man, if he assaulted my deputy."
It is a felony to assault a law enforcement officer -- that includes a
police dog. The woman driver who struck Recon is very upset too, Bart said.
She was driving at normal freeway speeds, but there was nothing she could
have done to avoid the accident, he said, adding he's glad she wasn't injured.
The suspect was treated at Stevens Hospital in Edmonds for minor dog bite
wounds and booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of delivery
of a controlled substance and several outstanding warrants, said sheriff's
Lt. Dan Howard. Authorities confiscated approximately 1 kilo of cocaine.
The suspect allegedly flew in from Alaska to make the delivery at the park-and-ride
lot, where he was met by authorities, Howard said.
|
.
In
Loving Memory of
K-9
"MAJOR"
Oct. 1981 - Sept.
1991
Partner, Sgt.
George T. Cayer
Rumford Police
Department
Maine
Now
Sgt. Cayer has K9, "Shelby," for 6 years. A beautiful Cocker Spaniel,
who hunts, has a great nose for drugs, & "sticks to him like glue!"
Chip
returned from working with the
United
Nations Civilian Police in Kosovo"
For
more about CIVPOL
(click on link) under the Kosovo link.
|
A
tribute to Major
This
is Major. I was and still am very proud of him for all that he did for
my agency and me. As always he was there when I needed him, ready to put
his life down for mine if needed. He was a machine when it came to obedience,
trained in all aspects of police K-9 work. At home he was a house pet,
watching over my wife and at the time one daughter. He is sadly missed
and could never be replaced. Some day in thefuture I will have another
K-9 to work and spend long hours with. Thank you for giving these fallen
heroes a place were they can be remembered in everyone's lives. Major was
almost 10 years old when he passed on (October 1981 to September 1991).
He was endorsed by the Rumford, Maine Police and the Maine State Warden
Servicefor Search and Rescue operations. During my time with Major, I was
Deputy Game Warden and spent many of days and nights in the field.
Sincerely
grateful, Sergeant George T. Cayer
.....
|
In
Loving Memory of
K-9
KEESHA
Sept.
16, 1992 - Oct. 20, 1999
Partner,
Deputy Doug Rollison
Leavenworth Sheriff's
Dept. KS
|
Training
That We Received
March
15, 1996- Drug Detection and Tracking
Detector
Dogs International Omaha, NE
May
16, 1997- Drug Detection and Tracking
Detector
Dogs International Omaha, NE
June
15, 1999 Drug Detection Team
NAPWDA-Raytown
Mo. Nationals
|
|
A
tribute to Keesha
Life began on
September 16, 1992
"She started as
a 'dog,' but ended as a
'True Deputy'
that we all loved."
Keesha
started her Law Enforcement Career at the Atchison County Sheriff's Department
in 1996. This was her second car that she patrolled. She worked for Atchison
approximately 3 1/2 years. We worked together for the Leavenworth County
Sheriff's Department in 1998. That is where Keesha was working when
she died. Keesha was eulogized
with
Guardians Of
The Night
"KAI"
I
now have Kai and have had him since December 1999. He is a little
over four years old. He came from Czechoslovakia and has all
his commands in Czech. He is certified in narcotics, tracking, and article
search. He is doing really well at aggression work we just haven't
been to a seminar to get him certified. Our patrol vehicle is a 2000 Ford
Explorer and we mainly work days. We still miss Keesha very much.
We have a memorial set up for her in our living room. Just to remind
you of the events that led to her death, we were at our south station getting
gas and I always let her out to take care of business and we would go play
in a nearby field. This time she took off after something and was killed
on the highway. The driver left the scene and called it in anonymously.
It really helped in our time of sorrow to know that somebody was thinking
about our loss on the other side of the nation.
It's because of Doug,
that I didn't give up my
passion to print cards for K9s.
|
In
Loving Memory of
K-9
YOGI
1989-1998
 
Partner,
Jerry of the LEBA
Law
Enforcement Bloodhound Association
P.O.
Box 471267
Aurora,
Colorado 80047-1267
303-369-6784
|
"Yogi"
was born on September 18, 1989, and named "Fosgate's Fozzie Bear." When
soon to be partner for life, Officer Jerry Nichols went to pick him out
of the littler, he had every intention of naming him "Fred." That was soon
thrown out by his son, Eric, who liked the name "Yogi" much better, sure
fit him! As a team, Jerry & Yogi worked 476 cases for over 70 Federal,
State & Local Agencies in 8 states. Due to their work, they have been
instrumental in Appellate Court decisions in Colorado, regarding bloodhound
evidence. During Yogi's last active manhunt, one Denver, CO officer was
killed and another ambushed. Yogi passed over the "Rainbow Bridge in June,
1998 as a result of cancer. Only one week prior, he worked a homicide case.
He was happy to be working.
Click
here to see more about Yogi
|
In
Loving Memory of
K-9
DERREK
August
8, 1998
LODD
Sgt.
Dave Molinet
Evansville
Indiana Police Department
Special
Operations Platoon - K-9 Unit
15
New MLK Jr. Blvd.
Evansville,
IN 47708
|
My
K-9 partner Derrek was shot and killed by an armed subject wanted for Carjacking,
Kidnapping, and Armed Robbery on August 8, 1998. K-9 Derrek tracked the
subject for several blocks before locating him as he was hiding in an old
work van. The suspect also shot at me during this confrontation and was
convicted of Attempted Murder as well as the charges I have already listed.
K-9 Derrek received numerous awards for this apprehension including the
USPCA's 1998 National "Catch of the Year". The City of Evansville filed
a lawsuit (which it won at trial) against the suspect for the cost of Derrek.
The suspect was ordered to reimburse the city $100,000 for the loss of
K-9 Derrek.
There
is a lot more to this story. If you need any more information please let
me know. Thanks,
Sgt.
Dave Molinet
cards
sent priority 2/26/02. Heard from Dave who is pleased
with
the cards 3/11/02. Another hero that we need
during
these days of war and terror. Dave posted Derrek's
card
on his vets bulletin board. Thanks..Dave!
|
In
Loving Memory of
K-9
ROSE
1991 - January
2000
.
Partner: Officer
John Zimmers
Texas City Police
Dept.
In
Loving Memory of
K-9
DANNY
1991 - March,
1998
Partner: Officer
Bruce Stewart
Texas City Police
Dept.
|
K-9
Officer Brett Cyr of Texas City notified me about
the
above 2 K-9s.
An
update from Brett: I'm doing great, life is great here.
I
am married to Debra, a K-9 handler from Webster P.D.
K-9
Claus is back at work with me, he was brought out of retirement
for
some of his special skills that were needed
and
he has been kicking booty.
|
|
In
the summer of 1991 the Texas City Police Department enacted the counties
first K-9 Division. There were three handlers originally. They were Officer
John Zimmers, Officer Bruce Stewart, and Officer Donald Halstead.
|
Officer
Zimmers' partner was a narcotic dog named Rose, Officer Stewart's partner
was a patrol dog named Danny, Officer Halstead's partner was a patrol dog
named Hondo.
|
Officer
Halstead resigned from the police department and his partner also left
with him. In 1995 K-9 Rose retired from active duty with the K-9 Division.
In 1996 Officer Cyr was assigned to the K-9 division. Officer Cyr's first
partner was a patrol dog named Claus. A few years later, in 1997, K-9 Danny
retired from active duty with the K-9 Division. In March of 1998, K-9 Danny
had past away due to complications of his health. In February of 1999,
K-9 Claus was retired due to an injury received due to years of service.
In January of 2000, K-9 Rose past away due to health complications.
ALL PARTNERS WILL
BE GREATLY MISSED.
|
In
Loving Memory of
K-9
CZAR
September
14, 1999
Partner:
Deputy Calvin Purnell
Worcester County
Sheriff Office
Maryland
410
632 1111
called
4/30/03 call evenings
|
Deputy
Purnell received K-9 CZAR in 1998 when he
worked
with the Ocean City, MD Police Department.
He
left the department and he was allowed to take Czar
with
him when he started working for the sheriff's office.
K-9
Czar died of a brain tumor when he was close to age
six.
Deputy Purnell remained in K9 unit
and
has a new partner.
notified
by Jenny Smith
|
In
Loving Memory of
K-9
TAZZ
October
1999
Partner:
Sgt. Scott Kirkpatrick
Ocean
City Police Dept.
Ocean
City, MD
410-723-6640
Ext. 8181 left message 4/30/03
|
K-9
Tazz was supposed to work the night he died of cancer. Sgt. Kirkpatrick
had no idea he had cancer. Tazz was not feeling well and Sgt. rushed him
to the vet. Only to find out the terrible news. He was put down the next
day. Taz was 9.5 years old, one of the best k-9 the Ocean City P.D. ever
had. Sgt. Kirkpatrick is still in the K-9 unit with a new partner, K-9
Flash.
|
notified
by Jenny Smith
|
OCPD
remembers officer in memorial
Tazz,
a 9 year old German Shepherd was "just like another officer"
by
Carl Whitehill - Times Press Staff November 10, 1999
He
may have been named after the Tasmanian devil, but the Ocean City K-9 officer
could be as sweet and gentle as a puppy. The department will bid farewell
to Tazz tonight in a memorial service following the death of the K-9, a
result of cancer The illness and loss of the dog has hit the police community,
especially PFC. Scott Kirkpatrick, the owner and handler of Tazz. The cancer
hit him so hard and so fast, he said. It was probably the toughest decision
I ever had to make in my life. Kirkpatrick added of the decision to put
Tazz to sleep last week. Though the dog showed no signs of pain, the disease
was not curable, forcing the department to make the choice. I didn't want
him to be in pain. Tazz and two other K-9 dogs were brought to Ocean City
in 1993, courtesy of the Ocean Grand Ball Association. Knowing the commands
only in German language, both Tazz and Kirkpatrick had their work cut out
for them. Both attended a 10 week training session comprising more than
400 hours of instruction.
Basically,
he knew how to do everything, and I didn't. Following the training, Tazz
was bilingual and Kirkpatrick had a new friend. He's been here so long,
he's always with me.
Last
year, Kirkpatrick noted, the K9 gave his best performance, leading the
department to 15 arrests, including several large drug busts. In 1998,
Tazz led officers to a quarter pound and a half pound of marijuana in separate
incidents. His career total exceeds 50 apprehensions. Tazz was a remarkable
tracker. He was the best one in Ocean City. The German shepherd was always
anxious to work, even on the day Kirkpatrick paid that visit to the veterinarian,
only to learn that Tazz had contracted lung cancer. Doctors told Kirkpatrick
the disease came as a result of environment exposure. While aggressive
on the job, the dog could join children and the community with no worries
to officers. In many cases Tazz handled , he bit only one suspect and only
because the suspect refused to surrender to officers. Kirkpatrick compares
the K-9's aggressive temperament to a light switch,; it could be turned
on and off at his command.
The
death has left the department saddened over the loss. Many looked at Tazz
as another officer. The dog will also be missed by community as many throughout
Ocean City knew his
presence
and abilities. He's just like another officer, actually Tazz is more well
known through the community than I am. They just know I am the guy at the
end of the leash. Tazz died at the age of 9. The memorial service is to
be held at
5
PM at St. Luke's Roman Catholic Church, 100 Coastal Hwy.
|
Click
for page 2 for more K9 memorials
return
to F.A.S.T. Co. home
|