K9 Camo – Indiana State Police

Died – 11/24/17
Handler – Master Trooper Greg Magee

Indiana State Police mourns the loss of retired canine ‘Camo’

On Friday morning, Camo was euthanized after a lengthy battle with Degenerative Myelopathy. “I am deeply saddened by the death of Camo, he was an invaluable asset to our district for nearly 10 years. He undoubtedly saved lives and made our communities safer. He will be greatly missed,” District Commander Lt. Jeff Payne said in a news release. The ISP K9 program has a steep tradition stretching back to 1938 when with the first dog, a bloodhound named Brutus, began patrolling statewide. In June of 2007 another K9 began his career with the state police, 2-year-old German Shepherd named Camo. Early in his career Camo, along with his partner Master Trooper Greg Magee, spent time patrolling the Indianapolis District assisting with drug searches, human tracking, evidence searches and assisting with other police activities. In 2009, in addition to his patrol duties, Camo was assigned part-time to the Indiana State Police SWAT team, where he was called to nearly every SWAT situation. Camo quickly earned the utmost confidence and respect from the SWAT members and in 2016 he became the first state police K9 assigned full-time to a SWAT team.
He continued to work diligently and since 2013 had responded to more than 450 SWAT calls. Camo has set the bar and laid the groundwork for future SWAT Canine Teams. During his 10 year career Camo is responsible for finding thousands of pounds of narcotics, millions of dollars in drug money and taking criminals off the streets. In one investigation Camo located 27 Kilos of cocaine, in another he found over 2000 pounds of marijuana and his largest single cash seizure in a single incident was over $2,000,000. Master Trooper Greg Magee remembers Camo as a hard working, driven, loyal partner. “Camo was more than a canine, he was family. I knew I could always count on him to cover my back and to be there when I needed him,” Magee said in the release. “He loved going to work every day and each time he heard my police car start his excitement was exuberant. “I will hold the memory of Camo deeply in my heart and feel so fortunate to have been his partner for more than 10 years.”

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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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