Related Articles
Died – 4/3/19
Handler – Officer Michael LaNatra
K9 Olyver Euthanized
A hero to many and a beloved member of the LaNatra family has spent his final days in what was until recently a comfortable life in retirement. Retired Kingston Police K9 Olyver could no longer live that comfortable life having developed intestinal cancer. The Kingston Police Department and K9 Officer Michael LaNatra announced Tuesday night that the decision had been made that Olyver would, regrettably, be put to rest. That was to occur Wednesday night, after he took a turn for the worse. A special ceremony originally planned for next week will be held at 2:30 p.m. this Friday, April 5, leaving the Kingston Animal Hospital to go to Angel View Pet Cemetery and Crematory. The 12-year-old pure breed black and sable shepherd from Slovakia faithfully served the town of Kingston and the Kingston Police Department for more than 11 years until he was retired in January of 2017. Selectman Kathy LaNatra read a statement Tuesday about Olyver, or “Oly,” a patrol-trained K9 and faithful partner, from her husband and the Kingston Police Department. “Olyver was utilized throughout his career for suspect tracking/apprehension and officer protection. Officer LaNatra and Olyver played a significant role in over 50 arrests in the town of Kingston and faithfully served the towns of Bridgewater, Caver, Duxbury, Halifax, Hanson, Middleborough, Plymouth, Plympton, Rochester, Scituate, West Bridgewater, Westport, the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department and the city of Brockton on an as needed basis. “K9 Olyver was successful in eight apprehensions of fleeing suspects who temporarily evaded police after the commission of crimes in his jurisdiction and fiercely protected his community and fellow Officers while assisting in crimes such as home invasions, armed/unarmed robberies, breaking and entering into homes and motor vehicles and countless violent crimes. “The Kingston Police will fondly remember Olyver for his toughness, tenacity and dedication in this fast moving and inherently dangerous line of work. The town will proudly remember his service. Olyver and Officer LaNatra routinely tracked and located missing children, missing elderly and individuals who could cause harm to themselves or others. “Olyver was a most unwelcomed sight for a fleeing felon, but will be forever remembered by this community as the K9 who participated in 11 National Night Out events, 11 years of public safety searches at the Silver Lake Regional High School, every single Memorial Day Parade and a faithful and prepared member of the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council Search and Rescue and SWAT Teams. “Over the course of 11 years of Service, Officer LaNatra and Olyver have received numerous awards and recognition not only from members of law enforcement within Kingston and the surrounding communities, but more importantly, they have received dozens of letters of high praise and thanks from members of the community, Silver Lake and Sacred Heart High School, the director of public safety at the Kingston Collection and a letter of thanks from the Special Olympics.”
