K9 Marco – Medford, Massachusetts

DIED – 9/8/17
HANDLER – Officer Harold MacGilvray

MEDFORD MOURNS THE LOSS OF K-9 HERO MARCO

Marco, the Medford Police dog who participated in the manhunt of the Boston Marathon bombers, has died. The 12-year-old Belgian Malinois joined the force nearly eight years ago. Following graduation from the Massachusetts State Police patrol dog and narcotic detection classes, the K-9 was put to work in the department’s Police Patrol, Investigative, and Narcotic units. Among his notable deployments included the tracking and apprehension of a home invasion suspect on New Year’s Eve; locating a money bag dropped by suspects that had robbed a Citizens Bank, which helped detectives catch the suspects; caught a breaking and entering suspect hiding in the basement of a Medford home. As police searched for Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in 2013, Marco was one of the first K-9s to arrive in Watertown where the manhunt took place for the suspects. Hours before that, he was assigned security detail at the MBTA’s Aquarium Blue Line Station and later assisted with President Barack Obama’s security detail during his visit to Boston to honor the victims of the bombings. On multiple occasions, Marco located weapons used in assaults. Most notably, a knife used in a St. Patrick’s Day stabbing that was tossed in the woods behind Malden Hospital. He also helped the Narcotic Unit uncover drugs during motor vehicle stops and search warrants. Marco was the key K-9 in many notable deployments such as the Boston Bruins Stanley Cup celebration in 2011 and the search for a suspect who shot a Woburn police officer that year. Off duty, Marco hung out with his adopted family, the MacGilvrays. “Marco knew the difference between work and play and was an integral part of our family,” said Officer Harry MacGilvray, the dog’s partner and trainer, in a statement. “Marco served the Medford Police Department and the citizens of Medford with distinction. He was a valuable asset to the department and will be missed by all those that had the opportunity to work with him.”

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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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