K9 Ali – Weymouth, Massachusetts

Died – 8/16/15
Handler – Captain Dave Phillips

Weymouth police mourn K9 officer

The Weymouth Police Department announced the passing of one of their K-9 officers Monday. K9 Officer Ali died Sunday, she was 12 years old. Her partner Captain Dave Phillips said, “For over 11 years, K-9 Ali was a faithful partner and companion. He will truly be missed.” Ali was originally from Czechoslovakia and was first trained as a patrol dog in Weymouth in 2004. The next year, she was cross-trained to detect narcotics. “To have a special animal in your life is truly a blessing, but to have worked with a dog like Ali is an experience I will always cherish forever. Every police dog is unique in their own way, yet simultaneously they all serve the same common purpose; to protect and serve the citizens of their respective communities,” Phillips said. He went on to say, “Although K-9 Ali is gone, I am comforted by the fact that he did his job well and served the citizens of Weymouth proudly.”

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.