K9 Santo – to Kenton County, Kentucky

Died – 5/12/20
Handler – Det. Miguel Rodriguez

K9 Santo passed away unexpectedly with his family and handler Det. Miguel Rodriguez (retired) by this side. K9 Santo was assigned to Kenton County Regional SWAT from March 2013 through his retirement in November of 2015. K9 Santo was one of the first police canines in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to attend and successfully complete S.K.I.D.D.S. in 2012. S.K.I.D.D.S. stands for SWAT & K9’s Interacting During Deployment School. K9 Santo was a shining example of a true tactical canine hero. K9 Santo received numerous awards and citations during his assignment to Kenton County Regional SWAT . I’ve attached the news story below that briefly discusses an incident where he was viciously attacked and stabbed during a S.W.A.T. apprehension. K9 Santo and Det. Rodriguez remain one of the best K9 Teams in Kenton County Regional SWAT history. K9 Santo will be greatly missed by Kenton County Regional SWAT . Please keep Det. Rodriguez and his family in your prayers.

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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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