K9 Jarno – Syracuse, New York

Died 3/8/24
Handler – Deputy Chief Julie Shulsky

Syracuse Police mourns loss of retired K9 Jarno after six years of service

The Syracuse Police Department announced Thursday the passing of retired Syracuse Police K9 Jarno.K9 Jarno passed away on Friday, March 8, five years after he retired from the force.He joined the department in March 2013 and was assigned the first female K9 handler, now Deputy Chief Julie Shulsky.K9 Jarno served for six years and responded to 3,508 calls for service before retiring in 2019.”To our courageous four-legged officer, you will be missed greatly by your family, the K9 Unit, the Syracuse Police Department and the City of Syracuse,” the department wrote on social media.

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.