K9 Zeus – Apex, North Carolina

Died – 7/30/24
Handler – Sgt. Asmussen

Apex police K-9 officer Zeus dies after battle with illness

The Apex Police Department is mourning the loss of one of its own. The department announced the passing of the K-9 named Zeus on Wednesday.“It is with great sadness that I share the news of the passing of Apex police K-9 Zeus,” Apex Chief of Police Jason Armstrong said in a news release.Police Chief Armstrong said that Zeus had been battling an illness and his condition took a turn for the worse Tuesday. “Zeus’ handler, Sgt. Asmussen was able to be with Zeus, privately, at the very end,” he said. A dual-purpose Belgian malinois originally born in Holland, Zeus joined the Apex Police Department in January 2016. He had 454 deployments over the course of his law enforcement career, including narcotic sniffs, building searches, article searches, search warrants, as well as tracks for wanted/missing persons. “Zeus was a beloved member of the Apex Police Department and this is a tragic loss for the department,” Police Chief Armstrong said. “Zeus served the community with pride and distinction. Zeus was a big hit at community events and brought a smile to many community members.” “This is a loss to the community as a whole and we thank Zeus for his honorable service,” he added.

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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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