K9 Lee – Ark, Arkansas

Died – 1/23/20
Handler – Sgt. Eric Mata

Retired Ark City police dog dies at 11

Lee, a retired K-9 officer for the Ark City Police Department died Thursday at the age of 11. Lee retired Aug. 21, 2018, capping eight years of service for the city. He spent his final 16 months in retirement. The Belgian Malinois was born in October 2008 in the Netherlands and traiend to detect illegal drugs. In Feb 2010, an Ark City police sergeant and former Chief Sean Wallace traveled to San Antonio to select a dog for the department’s new K-9 program. They came home with Lee. Lee’s first handler was ACPD Sgt. Eric Mata who worked with him until 2015. Together, Lee and Mata attended a 10-week K-9 school conducted by the Kansas Highway Patrol. Here they learned tracking and drug detection skills. In addition to drug detection responsibilities. Ark City police say Lee became an integral part of the DARE program and many of the department’s community outreach efforts. The Ark City community loved Lee who became family to ACPD Master Police Officer Jeremy Samson who adopted the four-legged crime fighter after the dog’s retirement. “Heaven gained a guardian K-9 today, Officer Samson said Thursday. “…I am so thankful and blessed to (have) become a part of (his) life.”

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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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