K9 Britta – Colorado Springs, Colorado

Died – 6/9/24

Death of K-9 Britta mourned by Colorado Springs police

The Colorado Springs Police Department is mourning the death of K-9 officer Britta after she died over the weekend. Britta died Sunday after serving the community for 10 years with CSPD’s EOD unit, according to a social media announcement from the department. K-9 Britta specialized in searching for explosives and had prior training in apprehension, officials said.As CSPD’s oldest K-9, Britta worked in countless operations and supported the department’s bomb squad.She also participated in about 200 deployments, which included VIP sweeps, vice presidential sweeps, presidential sweeps and explosive calls for service, according to police. Officials said Britta’s favorite pastimes included playing fetch with her Chuckit ball and snacking on carrots and cucumbers. “Her contributions to the safety of Colorado Springs and the surrounding area were invaluable, and her presence will be sorely missed,” the department said in the announcement.

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.