K9 Tunza – Mackay, Australia

Died 11/7/15
1st Handler – Senior Constable Ben Richards ( 2 years )
2nd Handler – Sergeant Marcus Hahn ( 4 years )

Sergeant pays tribute to fallen police dog Tunza

Police dog Tunza suddenly and unexpectedly passed away Saturday. Tunza fell ill during his shift on Friday and did not recover, police said in a statement. Tunza was seven and half years old and was sworn into the Queensland Police Service following his training at 18 months old. He was posted to Mackay District and served two years with Senior Constable Ben Richards and then served the last four years with his handler Sergeant Marcus Hahn, Officer in Charge Mackay Dog Squad. Tunza was general purpose police dog, cross trained in drug detection. Sergeant Hahn and Tunza have been a formidable team in the Mackay Police District over many years with successes in both drug detection and the tracking and apprehension of numerous suspects. Condolences and acknowledgements for Tunza’s service to the Mackay community have been numerous. When not at work Tunza lived at home with Sergeant Hahn and his family. Sergeant Hahn said today that Tunza was a special dog who loved to work. “He was dearly loved by my family. I will miss him,” Sergeant Hahn said.

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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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