K9 Orrie – Charleston, South Carolina

Died 6/21/21
Handler – Sgt. Jeffrey Thom

Retired Charleston Police K9 laid to rest

The Charleston Police Department said goodbye to a retired K9 who passed away. On Monday, K9 Orrie (Ret.) was laid to rest for medical reasons.“It was a hard day for all of us”, said K9 Orrie’s partner and best friend, Sgt. Jeffrey Thom. “K9 Orrie served with CPD from June 2013 through July 2020 during which time he assisted all aspects of the department in many ways. Police canines and their handlers work in some of the most demanding and hazardous environments of law enforcement. CPD utilizes our canine partners in many areas, from apprehending the most dangerous felons in the dark of night, to finding lost children. Orrie was part of many high risk search scenarios and worked tirelessly to keep his handler and the other officers within the department safe. During retirement, he enjoyed the life of luxury with days spent chasing his green ball, trips to the beach, and catching every dropped ice cube from the freezer.”K9 Orrie was escorted to McAllister Funeral Home by K9 teams from several law enforcement agencies, including the Charleston Police Department, the North Charleston Police Department, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division,. Other members of the Charleston Police Department were also in attendance.

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.