K9 Koda – South Australia

Died – 4/13/18
Handler – Constable Rosenhahn

Retired police dog Koda passes away

Koda, the brave and fearless South Australia Police pooch who was stabbed in the line of duty, has died peacefully. The 11-year-old German Shepherd was best known for being stabbed while on duty in Adelaide’s northern suburbs in 2013. At the time, the SAPOL dog was stabbed in the chest as officers attempted to arrest a knife-wielding man in Elizabeth Vale. Koda chased the man after he was seen climbing out of a burgled home — but the man produced a knife as he was being restrained by Koda and stabbed the pooch in the chest, leaving a 8cm-deep wound. Despite his injuries, Koda made a full recovery and returned to duty. Not long after the incident, Koda retired and since then, has spent his time as a family pet. A statement on the SA Police Facebook page revealed Koda “had been ill for some time, with what was believed to be a tumour totally unrelated to the stabbing”. “Unfortunately (he) took a turn for the worse last week, dying on Friday,” SA Police Dog Operations Unit Senior Sergeant Kurt Newcombe said. “PD Koda was an excellent working dog and was, sadly, a celebrity for all the wrong reasons, given the stabbing in 2013. “During his career Koda was deployed more than 638 times and was responsible for 116 arrests and clearing 235 offences. “Koda will be sorely missed by his handler and family.” Members of the public have expressed their condolences on Facebook. “What a heroic dog. RIP Koda your work is done,” one person wrote. Another wrote: “Thank you Koda for your honourable duty to make us all feel that much safer .. you are a hero ..and this is your time to run free fella. We salute you”. In the wake of the stabbing incident, the State Government announced new laws and tougher penalties for attacks on police animals.

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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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