K9 Hank – Hamden, Connecticut

Died – 12/14/18
Handler – Officer Michael Nawrocki

Retired Hamden Police K-9 Hank Dies

The Hamden Police Department is mourning the loss of retired K-9 “Hank,” who passed away on Dec. 14. Hank was born in Hungry in 2006 and was partnered with Hamden Police Officer Michael Nawrocki in 2009, according to police. Hank was trained as a Patrol/Narcotics dog and maintained annual certification with the National Police Canine Association (NPCA) in Narcotics detection, and Patrol dog disciplines including Building Search, Handler Protection, Tracking, and Apprehension, police said. “During an active and productive career ‘Hank’ was well known in the community for his presence as a patrol unit, and he enjoyed training, and performing K9 demonstrations for schools and other organizations,” police wrote in a post on Facebook. “Among his accomplishments K9 Hank and his partner were named Officer of the Year in 2012. K9 Hank was retired from service in January of 2016. He enjoyed the rest of his life with Sgt Nawrocki and loved being showered with affection by all his family and friends. “Hank was loyal partner, and the Hamden Police Department as well as Hank’s family and friends are proud to have had him serve this community.” Officer Nawrocki & K9 Hank joined the CPWDA on 1/1/10 and were members until K9 Hank’s death.

Tags

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.
| Old Memorials | Site Map
Copyright © 1973 - 2024 Louise Krause Memorials to Fallen K-9's Hosted By PC-GEEK Site Maintained BY Jim Cortina