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CPWDA is sad to announce the passing of K9 Nico. On January 18, 2019 at 3:00 p.m., members of the Groton Town Police Department and several K9 handlers from area police departments gathered in Groton to join Officer Shawn Lisee as he bid farewell to his retired partner K9 Nico, a 13 year old German Shepherd. Nico served the Groton Town Police Department faithfully for 7 years (Sept 2009 – Oct 2016) alongside Officer Lisee. Upon his retirement in October 2016, K9 Nico remained with Officer Lisee and his family as a pet and faithful companion. Regrettably, Nico’s health had recently deteriorated to the point where Lisee, after consultation with his veterinarian, made the very difficult determination that out of medical necessity he would need to be euthanized. Nico was a dual purpose K9 trained as both a patrol dog and a narcotics detection dog. As a patrol dog his typical duties would involve handler protection, tracking and evidence recovery. During their time together Officer Lisee and K9 Nico provided assistance on numerous cases in Groton and surrounding communities. Most notably, in September 2010 Nico assisted the Groton Narcotics Unit with a narcotics related motor vehicle search. Nico indicated to the presence of a narcotic inside the vehicle’s door panel and a sophisticated trap mechanism was subsequently discovered. A search of the door panel revealed a large amount of heroin packaged for sale and a stolen pistol. In August 2011, Nico assisted at the scene of a serious assault of an elderly female who was transported to the hospital for life threatening injuries. Officers learned a male perpetrator had fled the scene on foot requiring Officer Lisee and K9 Nico’s assistance. After a lengthy track, K9 Nico located the male suspect hiding in the woods under an abandoned motor vehicle and he was taken into custody without incident. In May 2012, Officer Lisee and K9 Nico were dispatched to the Noank Village section of Groton for the report of a missing 9 year old autistic child. Nico tracked approximately 1⁄2 mile and onto a beach area where the child was located on a privately owned dock. Fortunately, the child was unharmed and returned to his mother. Officer Lisee and K9 Nico assisted the Connecticut State Police in January 2016 with a pursuit of a stolen vehicle. The pursuit ended on Long Hill Road in the Town of Groton and two suspects fled from the vehicle. K9 Nico and Officer Lisee conducted a track and in doing so located evidence tying the two suspects to the crime. K9 Nico was able to track both suspects separately and located them in two different locations. They were subsequently arrested without further incident.These are just a few examples of the exemplary service that K9 Nico provided to the Town of Groton and area communities during his time in service. His value to the department is well documented and he will be sorely missed by Officer Lisee, his family and the officers who had the good fortune of working alongside this trusted canine. Officer Shawn Lisee and K9 Nico joined the CPWDA on 6/3/10 until 12/31/16 when he retired that year. CPWDA condolences are sent to the Lisee family, Groton Town Police Department, and friends.
