K9 Larz – Sparta, Wisconsin

Died – 6/20/21
Handler – Officer Brian James

Retired Sparta K9 Larz dies after short illness

Retired Sparta K9 Larz died Sunday after a short, but devastating illness, according to the Sparta Police Department. Larz and his handler, Officer Brian James, worked together for almost 9 years until Larz retired last year. According to a statement from the Sparta PD, “Larz was a true trifecta of a great police K9 – he protected his partner, tracked and apprehended criminals, and assisted in the removal of a significant quantity of illegal drugs from our community. Anyone who ever worked with Officer James and K9 Larz knows they were truly one of the best teams out there and set a high bar for other K9 teams. K9 Larz was always excited to work, and he served honorably for a career to be proud of.” James and Larz took one last ride together in their old squad car Sunday.

Submitted By Jim Cortina

James A. Cortina has been involved with police dogs since 1972 and currently on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Jim has been appointed as Treasurer since its inception in 1991. Jim is one of the charter members of the C.P.W.D.A. organization. Since 1975 he has been a certified professional dog trainer and received his Master Trainer Certification in 1985. During his career he has provided armed K-9 strike crowd control for security agencies in Connecticut and out of state security companies. In conjunction with other members of the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Board of Directors, he helped to draft Connecticut Statute 53-247(e) "Intentional Injury or Killing of Police K-9" which was passed by the Senate in 1993 and also assisted in implementing the prestigious Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award in 1992. In 1993 he helped coordinate the North American Police Work Dog Association Nationals in New London, Connecticut. He was appointed Training Director for the New London County Work Dog Association from 1985-1987. He performed decoy work for Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. in police K-9 demonstrations, trained several local police department canines, and coordinated training workshops for out-of-state police departments. He participated in the United States Police K-9 Association Trials in Croton on Hudson, New York in 1985 as a decoy. He is an avid photographer and received photography awards in 1989, 1990, and 1991 and currently takes photographs for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc.