K9 Kozmo – Mesquite, Texas

Died 4/26/21
Handler – Officer Jason Crawford

Mesquite K9 officer killed while chasing armed robbery suspects

The Mesquite Police Department is mourning the loss of one of its police dogs killed in the line of duty Monday morning. It happened around 2:30 a.m. as officers were helping the Balch Springs Police Department chase several armed aggravated robbery suspects. They deployed spike strips and disabled the suspects’ vehicle near Bruton Road and Interstate 635. The suspects then took off on foot. K9 Kozmo was released to help track the suspects. Officers eventually located the suspects but could not find Kozmo. The police dog was found dead after an extensive search. “It should be noted that our K9s are members of the MPD family. Kozmo was an amazing and loyal dog who gave his life in the performance of his duties. We ask everyone to keep all of our officers in their thoughts and prayers as we deal with this loss,” MPD said in a release. The names of the suspects involved in the chase have not yet been released. A vet will perform a necropsy and other tests to determine Kozmo’s cause of death. The department is planning a memorial service for him.

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