K9 Harrie – Shreveport, Louisiana

Died 6/24/23
Handler – Sergeant Jeff Hammer

On June 24, 2023, at approximately 4:15 p.m., K9 handler Sergeant Jeff Hammer and his partner K9 Harrie responded to assist patrol officers in locating suspects who fled from a stolen vehicle following a pursuit. K9 Harrie relentlessly tracked the suspects and during his pursuit, sustained a heat-related injury. K9 Harrie was rushed to the Animal Emergency Clinic & Intensive Care Facility and every effort was made to save him, but ultimately he succumbed to his injuries. Chief Wayne Smith and the Shreveport Police Department would like to thank everyone at the Animal Emergency Clinic for their life-saving efforts.K9 Harrie was a seven-year-old Belgian Malinois and had served the citizens of Shreveport since January 1, 2018. At one point in his career, Harrie was thought to be a “lost cause”, but Harrie was assigned to Sergeant Jeff Hammer, a long-time K9 handler and animal lover. With the help of the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office K9 trainers, Sergeant Hammer turned Harrie into an exceptional K9 partner that began assisting in training other police K9s. Harrie became one of the most sought-after K9s in the area. Please keep Sergeant Hammer, the K9 team, and everyone who loved Harrie in your thoughts and prayers.

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.