K9 Arko – Tippecanoe County, Indiana

Died – 7/24/15

Procession honors retired K-9

A sea of blue and red lights could be seen in Lafayette Monday night in honor of an officer who served Tippecanoe County for nearly 9 years. His name was Arko and he was an 11-year-old Belgian Malinois. He served alongside his handler, Tippecanoe County Dep. Donald Miller. Arko was a part of countless drug arrests and criminal apprehensions. Correction officer Jim Knogge, who has had two K- 9s of his own, said the procession of police cars is an emotional way to pay respects and show support. “A lot of happy moments come flooding back into your memory, to the point where you’re overcome with emotion. Just to see the amount of backing and the lighting that is involved with this — it’s just amazing,” said Knogge. A tumor on Arko’s pancreas affected his blood sugar and he died at the Purdue Small Animal Hospital Friday morning. Another retired K-9, West Lafayette’s Kay, died earlier this month.

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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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