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Died – 9/15/22
Handler – Sergeant Craig Belcher
Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, K-9 Ciro passed away
A K-9 who served Central New York for more than eight years passed away at the age of 13.The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office says K-9 Ciro passed away on Thursday, September 15, 2022. Ciro’s handler was Sergeant Craig Belcher, and Ciro worked beside him as a member of the sheriff’s office for eight years.Before he retired in 2019, his colleagues say Ciro’s career was “exceptional.” He was deployed on more than 1,000 calls.Ciro’s duty included perimeter and building searches and patrol, explosives searches, tracking, officer protection, and public relations. Among his most well-known accomplishments is his performance during an incident that took place on January 22, 2015 when K-9 Ciro and his handler were sent to help the Town of Dewitt Police Department on a call involved a bank robbery that had taken place at the M&T Bank on East Seneca Turnpike in Jamesville, New York. With little to use except witness accounts of the general direction to which the suspect had fled and some inconsistent footprints, Sergeant Belcher, police say, deployed K-9 Ciro and commanded him to track the suspect.K-9 Ciro led Sergeant Belcher to a home near East Seneca Turnpike. Responding officers set up a perimeter outside of the home and contacted the homeowner. A short time later it was determined that the homeowner’s son was a suspect in the robbery. Police were able to search the home and gather evidence allegedly related to both the robbery and the possible location of the suspect. The suspect, who had fled to Syracuse, was taken into custody not long after this. Police say, “The actions of Sergeant Belcher and K-9 Ciro were invaluable in that incident.”The incident is one of many in which K-9 Ciro’s performance and demeanor proved to be an outstanding asset to the community. In a statement posted to Facebook, the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office says, “Ciro will forever be remembered as a wonderful and dedicated K-9. He will be greatly missed. Rest easy buddy.”
