Related Articles
Died 3/28/17
Handler – Officer Roland Stucken
Newport police dog Elko, 9, dies after health problems
The Newport Beach Police Department is mourning the loss of a retired officer – and one of the community’s best friends. Elko, a 9-year-old Belgian Malinois police dog, died this week after struggling with “ongoing health issues” that hindered his quality of life, said Jennifer Manzella, spokeswoman for the police department. He served five years with the police department before retiring in 2010.“Elko never wavered in the face of danger while protecting his handler, other officers, or members of the community,” the police department said in a statement. “He was directly or indirectly responsible for apprehending numerous violent criminals, as well as locating several hundred pounds of narcotics, which were taken off the streets.” Elko was named after the Newport Harbor Elks Lodge No. 1767, which donated $15,000 to purchase him, the statement said. The department described Elko as “energetic and alert” and as “a versatile member of our team, as comfortable receiving belly rubs from his fans as working with the S.W.A.T. team.” When Elko died on Tuesday, March 28, he was surrounded by the handlers who trained with him during his career and his human partner, Officer Roland Stucken. The department’s statement said Elko’s last moments were spent playfully biting on one of the thick training sleeves K-9 officers use to practice apprehending suspects. Stucken and his family, with whom Elko lived during his retirement the past two years, are mourning the death and the department is giving them space to grieve, Manzella said. In the department’s official statement, Stucken was quoted as saying: “Rest easy, my friend. You served your community proudly and will be missed by many.”
