memorial2001

Police hold memorial for K-9

Terre Haute Police Department remembers a fellow officer and a best friend. Rambo, a former K-9, passed away at age 13. The Terre Haute Police Department held a memorial service for the dog on Friday. Rambo worked with former Drug Task Detective Dan Parker from 2001 to 2005. Parker said Rambo had an overwhelming drive to do his job. "You don't realize how attached you are to these animals until this happens, they're your partner," Dan Parker said. "For us not to memorialize them would be wrong." While he was with the department, Rambo helped seize over $600,000 worth of narcotics and helped make 295 arrests.
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA

In an echo of the funeral for slain Fort Myers Police Officer Andrew Widman, Lee County law enforcers will gather Thursday to bid farewell to a partner gunned down in the line of duty. This partner is a little different than most, however, Rosco, a 4-year-old German Shepherd trained in narcotics and fugitive apprehension died of his wounds last week after he was shot by an armed suspect multiple times. Officers shot and killed the teenage suspect during the chase. Fort Myers Police Chief Doug Baker says Rosco deserves an honor commensurate with a fallen police officer. “This isn’t a dog that died of old age or maybe unfortunate disease,” Baker said. “This dog got shot and killed by an armed robber. In my mind, it raises the bar.” Suspect Kamyn Jodeci William Bright, 17, was fatally shot along Metro Parkway. Police say Bright and another man, Gilberto Amaya, 30, had just robbed a Colonial Boulevard McDonald’s at gunpoint when Rosco and his partner, officer Glenn Thompson, responded to the scene. As the suspects scattered, Rosco and Thompson gave chase to Bright, whom officers say opened fire at his pursuers. Meanwhile, Amaya struck another police dog during an attempted escape in a van. That dog, 9-year-old Axe (pronounced “ox”) is recovering from his injuries, the agency reports. Thompson, and possibly another officer, fired at Bright, killing him; other officers pursued Amaya, eventually arresting him in Lehigh Acres. Officers also arrested a third suspect, Leandro Fermin, 21, a McDonald’s employee whom detectives say left a back door open for the robbers in exchange for $300. Investigators with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting of Bright, agency spokeswoman Shelly Flynn said. Thompson and the other officer, whose name has not been released, will remain on administrative leave with pay until the investigation is concluded, she said. Thursday, Rosco will be given full police honors at a ceremony to be held at McGregor Baptist Church. The service will include a color guard, a video about Rosco and speakers. Outside, officers will perform a 21-gun-salute, play taps and present a flag to Thompson, who kept and cared for Rosco. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office will perform a helicopter fly-over. Rosco was cremated and will not be buried, Flynn said. Fort Myers Police officers and Lee County Sheriff’s deputies are expected to attend the hour-long service. McGregor Baptist Church is providing free use of its sanctuary, and Rosco’s cremation and urn were also donated, Flynn said. Plans for the service resemble the funeral for rookie officer Widman, 30, who was shot and killed in July 2008 as he intervened in a domestic dispute in downtown Fort Myers. Widman’s funeral was also held at McGregor Baptist Church, and he received full honors that included a color guard, the playing of taps and the presentation of a flag to his widow, Susanna. A lengthy procession of police cruisers guided Widman’s hearse to the burial ground, and citizens lined the road to pay respects. Baker says Rosco deserves a similar send-off, and he’s reluctant to draw distinctions between his police dogs and police officers. Both show courage and self sacrifice, he said. Rosco also represented a costly investment. One of six police dogs at the agency, he was imported from Europe at a cost of $7,500, untrained. The state requires 400 hours for basic training for police dogs and a 200-hour drug course. All dogs are required to pass annual tests in obedience, apprehension, handler protection, building and area searches and tracking, according to the Fort Myers Police Department. Although the cash-strapped agency isn’t paying for the ceremony, Baker says he was willing. “If I had to pay, I would pay,” he said. “That dog deserves it, in my opinion.” Amaya and Fermin were arrested on charges of armed robbery and felony murder for Bright’s death. Fermin was also charged with a count of conspiracy to commit a felony.

Auburn Police mourn loss of canine helper
Rony, the dog

Auburn police paid last respects to one of their own today after a six-year member lost his battle with cancer. In the last week of his life, this public servant sniffed out a narcotics case that led to the capture of a felon after a vehicle pursuit, police said. Rony, the department's canine, died April 10. A native of Czechoslovakia, Rony was picked to come to the United States to be a police dog. After 10 weeks of training and a two-week narcotics detection course, Rony began his service in 2004.

Minn. Man, Police Dog Dead After 16-hour Standoff

A Ham Lake man was found shot to death in his house Thursday after a 16-hour standoff that culminated with a SWAT team storming the residence behind a patrol dog, which was killed during an ensuing exchange of gunfire. Authorities say an autopsy will reveal whether the man, identified by friends and neighbors as 70-year-old Theodore Kowalzek, shot himself or was killed by a SWAT team officer who returned the gunfire that authorities say killed Rocky, a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois that served as a patrol dog for five years.
"I know the Anoka County Sheriff's Office believes that Rocky is a hero and that he saved the lives of their deputies; he went in first," said Andy Skoogman, spokesman for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is heading the investigation. "It's cliche, but he paid the ultimate price. They're very shaken up in Anoka County about this." Authorities would not release the name of the officer who fired at Kowalzek.Those who knew Kowalzek, a father and grandfather who was a regular at a local bar, were left Thursday to try to comprehend the actions of a man known to shoot his guns almost every day and attract a lot of visits from police.
"The cops have always been over at Ted's house; there's always been problems there," said neighbor Karla Jesinoski, who arrived home at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday to find the neighborhood blocked off. "I've been here for 31 years, and it's been going on for 31 years. The cops know him upside down." According to records, Kowalzek had multiple convictions, including driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an injury accident and implied consent test refusal. 'I'm completely shocked' But Todd Chester, owner of the Route 65 Bar and Grill in East Bethel, where Kowalzek stopped most days and was known as "Teddy," said he wasn't a violent man.
"He never brought harm to anybody," said Chester. "Everyone who knew him knew he was a good guy. ... Something must have pushed his buttons, and I'm completely shocked that it ended this way." Skoogman said the standoff began about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday when county deputies accompanied a man who was attempting to get his car back from the homeowner, identified by neighbors as Kowalzek. Those they were at the residence at 17717 Concord Drive NE., a gunshot was heard "coming from the direction of the home," Skoogman said. Deputies surrounded the house, and as the hours passed authorities tried multiple times to talk Kowalzek out.
He didn't surrender even after officers fired tear gas into the home. Finally, early Thursday, the SWAT team went in, led by K-9 Rocky. Capt. Dave Jenkins of the Sheriff's Office said he thought the dog "protected the officers by drawing [Kowalzek's] fire." Skoogman said, "Shots were fired, fatally wounding the dog. One SWAT team officer returned fire, and they moved out of the house." Skoogman said the dog died inside the house. After more attempts to contact Kowalzek went unanswered, they entered the house again to find him dead of a gunshot wound.
Jenkins said Rocky was one of the department's six K-9s and was trained as an "apprehension dog." He said the dog's death is especially hard on his law enforcement handler and the handler's family. But Jenkins also offered this perspective: "The fortunate thing here is we're talking about an animal, and at the end of the day, these animals are trained to do what they do. They're an instrument; they're a tool, and what's important is that we're not talking about an officer going down." The standoff resulted in the lockdown of the neighborhood of about two dozen houses on large parcels.
Some neighbors arrived home to find a blocked street and flashing lights. They were allowed to come and go from their homes only with law enforcement escorts. Chester said Kowalzek fired guns on his property every day and was known for driving his tractor or Bobcat to the bar. He was hardworking, always had grease on his hands and never hesitated to help a friend, Chester said. "I don't think he handled it right or the cops did," Chester said." Why didn't [police] call someone? There was 32 people I think that could have talked him out of this, but that's one side. The other side is that when they come looking for you, whether you're right or wrong, you come out."
submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA

Funeral held for slain police dog

Service scheduled for Chesco K-9 By Kathleen Brady Shea - INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Chesco police dog memorialized By Kathleen Brady Shea - INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Police hold memorial for K-9

Auburn Police mourn loss of canine helper
Rony, the dog