K9 Papi – Bridgewater, Massachusetts

Died 6/19/22
Handler – Sgt. Steven Kingsley

Bridgewater Police Department Mourns Loss of K-9 Papi

Chief Christopher Delmonte regrets to inform the community that Bridgewater Police K-9 Papi died unexpectedly over the weekend.Papi was a 9-year-old German Shepherd from Slovakia. He joined the department and was partnered with K-9 Sgt. Steven Kingsley in 2014. The team completed Basic Canine Patrol School the same year, and completed cross-training in drug detection in 2016.Papi was involved in many tracks of missing people and suspects, building searches, armed incidents and violent encounters, searches resulting in the seizure of drugs, and more. K-9 Papi and Sgt. Kingsley were assigned to the W.E.B. Major Crimes and Drug Task Force and the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC) SWAT team.He also participated in many public events and educational demonstrations, including Autumnfest, the Bridgewater Police Citizens Police Academy, the Parks and Recreation Department’s summer camp, Mollie’s Vest-a-Dog events, and more. Papi suddenly became ill on Sunday, June 19. He underwent emergency surgery but did not survive.An honor service was held on Monday, June 20, at Angel View Cemetery in Middleborough, which was attended by members of the Bridgewater Police Department, other area K-9 teams and law enforcement officers from the region.“Sgt. Kingsley and K-9 Papi were an outstanding team whose work — some of which was well-known and some less publicized — was instrumental to many searches and investigations that contributed to the safety of our community,” Chief Delmonte said. “Papi was a protector of the officers he worked with and valued presence at the many community events where he represented the department. He will be greatly missed by Sgt. Kingsley, his family and the department.”

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.