K9 Havoc – Burlington, Massachusetts

Died 5/1/24
Handler – Sgt. Papsedero

Burlington Police Mourns Passing of Retired K-9 Havoc

Chief Thomas P. Browne and the Burlington Police Department regret to inform the community that retired Burlington K-9 Havoc passed away on Wednesday, May 1. K-9 Havoc was a 15-year-old German Shepherd from Slovakia. He began his career with Burlington Police in 2010 after graduating from the Boston Police Department’s K9 Academy. Havoc worked alongside K-9 handler Sgt. Joe Papsedero, and assisted in numerous calls throughout Burlington and across the Commonwealth including searching for missing persons, locating evidence, and searching for suspects. Havoc was nationally certified in patrol tactics and narcotic detection by the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA), the North American Police Work Dog Association (NAPWDA), and the International Police Work Dog Association (IPWDA). Havoc and Sgt. Papsedero were involved in many high-profile searches, including locating an 82-year-old woman who fell in a swamp in Stoneham in 2015 and assisting in the search for the Boston Marathon bomber alongside SWAT in 2013. Havoc retired from the Burlington Police Department in 2020. He lived with Sgt. Papsedero and his family. “Havoc was a beloved member and huge asset to our department and our officers, as he assisted in countless cases and made a home here in Burlington,” said Chief Browne. “On behalf of the Burlington Police Department, we would like to extend our deepest condolences to the Papsedero family. Havoc was a pivotal member of our community, and we will remember him every day.”

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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.
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