K9 Dre – Chino, California

Died – 9/6/20
1st Handler – Officer Robert Franks
2nd Handler – Officer Ernie Garcia

Beloved retired Chino Police canine ‘Dre’ dies

Retired police K-9 officer Dre, who spent seven years with the Chino Police Department before his retirement in 2016, died Sunday just weeks before his 13th birthday. “Police canines serve a vital role in protecting our community and help our officers remain safe,” said Chino Police Chief Wes Simmons. “Though they are certainly not the same as human partners, they are loved and counted on just as much.” Dre served the Chino Police Department from 2009 to 2016, working with Officer Robert Franks for the first three years and the final four years with Officer Ernie Garcia. Officer Garcia and his family adopted Dre after his retirement. Among the many cases Dre helped solve for the department was a sniff of a car on a vehicle carrier that resulted in a positive alert for drugs, Chief Simmons said. Inside the vehicle was 16 kilograms of cocaine and a large amount of cash that had been hidden in a compartment. “Dre was an asset to our department and he will be missed by his Chino Police family,” Chief Simmons said.

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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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