K9 Tango – Greenville, South Carolina

Died 12/22/24
Handler – Sgt. Conley Jumper Jr

A former K-9 officer with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office died over the weekend.On Sunday, K-9 Tango, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois died due to a tumor near his heart, the sheriff’s office said.Tango joined the sheriff’s office in February 2018, and was deployed 332 times. The sheriff’s office said the dog helped locate hundreds of thousands of dollars and more than 100 pounds of illegal drugs.He retired in 2020 after his handler, Sgt. Conley Jumper Jr., was killed in a car crash.The sheriff’s office commemorated Tango’s life and career with a video montage showing him swimming, training with Jumper and sitting with deputies after a large drug bust.“K-9 Tango’s contributions to our community and his bond with Sgt. Jumper was unparalleled. He will forever be remembered as a loyal partner and a cherished member of our law enforcement family. Rest easy, Tango. You will be missed. Go find Jump up there. He’s waiting for you good boy,” read the post from the sheriff’s office.

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.