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Died 7/27/18
Handler – Officer Katie Beebe
Retired Fontana police dog responsible for recovering millions in narcotics money dies
Katie Beebe had a feeling Reno would be a hard-working police dog. About a decade ago, the K9 was one of several brought to Riverside from Holland to be used by police agencies. No older than 3 at the time, Reno’s drive resonated with Beebe, then in her fifth year with the Fontana Police Department. The canine would go on to recover several million dollars of narcotics money, assist in more than 50 apprehensions and serve on several hundred deployments over his near-seven-year tenure. Losing a police dog “is definitely much harder than a normal pet,” said Beebe, 35. “At work, he’s your partner, you save each other on calls. Anytime, if you get in trouble, they’ll help out.” Reno was an apprehension dog cross-trained as a narcotics and gun dog. He also worked with SWAT. Off-duty, the canine was like any other pet, Beebe said. He had an obsession with keys and always had a chew toy in his maw. Many an afternoon he spent herding horses, goats and sheep on the family’s High Desert farm. When they weren’t falling asleep on him, Beebe’s children wore themselves out playing with him. But Reno knew when to punch in. “When you get your uniform on and they see the police gear, the dog turns on,” Beebe said. “They get all excited, ready to go to work.” The Fontana Police Department has six K9 teams, up from four when Reno came aboard. A nonprofit raises money for their purchase, training and assorted equipment. When Reno called it career in 2015, the Fontana K9 Pals threw him a party. The canine devoured a raw T-bone, his retirement gift.“Not only is a K9 a really good tool, but a great partner for his whole life,” Beebe said. “Especially if you’re a dog person, because you spend all your time talking to a dog. And, he never complains about when you want to get coffee.”
