K9 Gero – Effingham, Georgia

Handler – Officer Jamie Thompson

Effingham County Sheriff’s Office remembers beloved K-9 ‘Lt. Gero’

The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO) is mourning the loss of a beloved retired K-9.Lieutenant Gero served the ECSO from 2015 to 2022 under the handling of Strategic Firearms Commander (SFC) Jamie Thompson. In his career, Lt. Gero helped capture those who tried to evade authorities and alerted to hundreds of narcotics while on patrol with SFC Thompson.Lt. Gero resided with SFC. Thompson and his family in Guyton, Ga. after retirement.ECSO commemorated the passing of the K-9 on Friday, Nov. 29, with a heartfelt message on Facebook:“Lt Gero we pray that your days are pain free and you are enjoying all the KONG toys you can find. Until we meet again, Good boy, Gero. Good boy.”

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.