memorial2001

Memorials to Fallen K-9s

2005 page 21
The F.A.S.T. Co. donates sets of memorial cards to all partners
I need your help to inform me of such losses.

Dept. addresses available for those who want to send condolences to officers. See below

In Loving Memory of
K-9 LASLO
? 2, 2005

Partner: Sgt. Jay Carlson
Las Vegas Police Dept.

We have lost a few dogs fairly recently. Sgt. Jay Carlson's patrol dog,
Laslo, had had surgery recently and was on the mend, but during his
recovery he suffered for lack of the correct terminology a twisted gut.
It happens in horses and large dogs. Sad and unexpected. His other
dog, Moss, who had retired sucumbed to cancer the following week I think it was. Hard time for Jay. One other of our retired dogs, Ex, passed. He belonged to Officer Robert Johnson and had been living with him since his retirement.

In loving Memory of
K-9 MOSS
date

Partner: Sgt. Jay Carlson
Las Vegas Police Dept.

In Loving Memory of
K-9 EX
date?

Partner: Officer Robert Hindi
& Officer Bob Johnson
Las Vegas Police Department
K-9 Division - 4511 W. Cheyenne Ave. Suite 401
N. Las Vegas, NV 89030 - 702-229-3441

all L.V. P.D. K9s were submitted by Kathy Mourning

In Loving Memory of
K-9 VOLKER
August 12, 2005

Partner: Cpl. Joseph Gonzales
Merrillville Police Department
7820 Broadway
Merrillville, IN 46410
(219) 769-3722

It took a couple days before Merrillville police Cpl. Joseph Gonzales could even talk about it without welling up with tears or simply breaking down and crying. To Gonzales, the death of Volker has hit hard.
On Friday morning, Volker, a Merrillville police canine officer, succumbed to cancer after nine years on the force.
“He was a friend and part of my family,” Gonzales said.
The German shepherd, who was bred and born in Germany before being brought to the United States in 1996, worked and lived with Gonzales, who is the director of the Merrillville canine division.
“He was always really good with my wife and my kids,” said Gonzales, a 101Ú2-year veteran of the force who has three children. “It was very strange today. I can still feel him pushing me or pulling on me at certain times.”Volker initially was a full-service patrol dog, working narcotics, tracking suspects and apprehending suspects, Gonzales said. In 2000, Volker’s duties were scaled back, and he became a narcotics dog.
In 2003, Volker was retired as he approached age 10. But a year later, he returned.“We were worried about him getting older,” Gonzales said. “But he went stir crazy at home and forced me to bring him out of retirement.”Volker was diagnosed with testicular cancer in November. Veterinarians at the Merrillville Animal Hospital removed the cancer but told Gonzales there was a slight chance the cancer had spread.
Volker continued to work up until June, and last week veterinarians discovered the cancer had spread to his shoulder.
“He got really, really ill,” Gonzales said. “And on Friday, the vet called and said there was no chance of him improving.”
Gonzales said a burial ceremony has not yet been planned. Gonzales said the hope was to bury Volker in his yard at home, but Gonzales is in the process of moving to a new home. Volker was one of three police dogs splitting three shifts within the Merrillville department. Sirius, also a German shepherd, currently is going through training with Patrolman Nathan Schrock to become a full-service dog. Rocco, a black Labrador retriever, works with Patrolman David Desalle and is a narcotics and tracking dog. Gonzales said the goal of the department is to obtain another canine in the wake of Volker’s death. He said he doubts he will be that dog’s handler.

submitted by Jim Cortinia, Dir. CPWDA

In Loving Memory of
K-9 RJ
(Rusty Junior)
August 13, 2005

Partner: Officer Bryan Hanani
Phoenix Police Dept.
620 W. Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85003
(602) 495-5003

A Phoenix police K-9 was killed in the line of duty last night when he was run over by a suspected car thief. K9 R-J and his handler, Officer Bryan Hanania, were assisting patrol officers near 21st Place & Garfield Street trying to catch a suspected car thief.
Phoenix
Detective Tony Morales said R-J and Hanania followed the driver into an alley, and the suspect accelerated backward and ran over the dog.
R-J had a broken spine and severe internal injuries. He was euthanized at a veterinary clinic.
Morales said that for K-9 officers, "It's like losing a brother."
The suspect, whose name was not released, was arrested.

Police canine killed in line of duty honored by many
Emily Bittner --The Arizona Republic - Aug. 23, 2005
****

Phoenix police Officer Bryan Hanania said a private goodbye to his police dog, Rusty Junior, while the dog lay on a veterinarian's table with his back broken and spine severed earlier this month. But at a ceremony to honor R.J., as he was known, on Monday afternoon, Hanania offered a public remembrance: "You were obedient to the end, and you died doing what you loved, being a warrior," Hanania said. The Belgian Malinois was killed Aug. 13 when the driver of a stolen vehicle ran over him as he protected Hanania. More than 200 people - police officers, dog handlers from across the state and even Mayor Phil Gordon - paid their respects to R.J. at Encanto Park, a special place for the dogs and their officers. Dog handlers and their canine counterparts often come to the park to relax and play ball, train or re-evaluate the day's tactics. About a decade ago, the ashes of another Phoenix police dog were scattered on the lawn. "This area really means a lot to us," said Officer Jon Howard, who oversaw R.J.'s training with Hanania. On Monday a semicircle of dogs and handlers surrounded an ash tree planted to honor R.J. and talked about the dog's sacrifice. "These dogs do tremendous things for us," Chaplain Tom Garasha said. "Officers' lives really depend on the dogs . . . R.J. stayed down even to the last breath of his life." R.J.'s service was the first Garasha ever conducted for a dog, but he told the crowd the dog's bravery and dedication justified the commemoration.

Hanania and R.J. were on patrol the evening of Aug. 13 when they answered a theft and carjacking call near Roosevelt and 26th streets. The suspect fled the stolen car, but ran back toward it. Hanania told R.J. to lay down and wait for orders. The dog stayed put even while the car rolled over him. The man was arrested nearby and held on several felony charges, including cruelty to animals.

Howard said one day the suspect will regret that night. "He's going to have to look back and realize he ended this innocent dog's life instead of stepping up like a man," Howard said. But nothing will bring R.J. back.
"I loved you, and I loved being your partner," Hanania said. "Now you get to track angels and . . . trade in your leather collar for one of gold."

submitted by Jim Cortinia, Dir. CPWDA & Scott Cramer

In Loving Memory of
K-9 CAESAR
&
Officer Roy Nelson, Jr.
August 14, 2005

Partner: Officer Roy Nelson, Jr.
New Smyrna Beach Police Dept.
1400 North Dixie Freeway
New Smyrna Beach, Florida 32168
Phone: (386)424-2220

The city's first police officer killed in the line of duty was remembered Sunday as a dedicated husband, father and law-enforcement officer.

Officer Roy L. Nelson Jr., 36, and his police dog, Caesar, died late Saturday when Nelson, headed to the scene of a reported burglary, swerved his car to avoid another vehicle and crashed just east of the South Causeway on State Road A1A, investigators said. Both Nelson and the dog were pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said Nelson was traveling west in a 50 mph zone about 11:40 p.m. Saturday when, a witness said, a white pickup pulled onto the road from Richmond Drive, on Bouchelle Island. The witness told the Florida Highway Patrol that the truck pulled out in front of Nelson and he swerved to avoid it, crashing into a guardrail and overturning. The truck left the scene.

Nelson did not have his lights and siren on at the time of the crash, said FHP spokeswoman Kim Miller, and it was not known how fast Nelson was driving. Investigators could not say Sunday whether Nelson was wearing his seat belt. Police are looking for a white, full-size pickup, possibly a 1990s Ford F-150. The truck is considered a factor in the crash, though the two vehicles do not appear to have made contact, Miller said, adding that the driver could face charges. Nelson, a nearly seven-year veteran of New Smyrna Beach police, was remembered by family, friends and co-workers Sunday as a dedicated husband, father and law-enforcement officer. "He was a great guy in my book," said Nelson's father-in-law, Howard Hiett, reached by phone at his home in Tiffin, Ohio. "He took care of business, family-wise and at work." Nelson and his wife, Angie Nelson, along with the Nelsons' two daughters, ages 2 and 13, had just visited the Hietts in Ohio for a few days of vacation and cookouts in July. Ceasar, a 3 1/2-year-old Belgian Malinois, trained more than 400 hours with Nelson and lived with the family. "Roy was with Ceasar everywhere," said Shannon Gintz, the wife of an Edgewater police officer and friend of Nelson's. "He was always smiling and happy and loved his job, loved his dog." Nelson had worked with Ceasar for more than two years, said Cmdr. Bill Drossman, a former K-9 officer. Ceasar was Nelson's first police dog, he said. "Everyone is feeling the loss of both police officers," Drossman said, noting that state law considers a trained police dog to be an officer. "Roy had a heart as large as -- as large as any large building you can think of." Explaining the bond between a cop and his dog, Drossman said, "Working with a police canine is like working with one of your own children. You give them the same amount of love, the same amount of attention. You love that animal."

Roy Bishop, owner of Bishop's Wrecker Service in New Smyrna Beach, was familiar with Nelson, who often called the service at night to have cars towed. Bishop and his wife left silk flowers at the accident scene Sunday morning. "There's never a party out there, a parade for our police officers. And most of them probably go unrecognized until something happens," Bishop said. "But this guy's out there protecting our families. We all lost a brother out there today." Sgt. Mike Brouillette, spokesman for New Smyrna Beach police, said the department's first deaths in the line of duty touched everyone on the force of 53 sworn officers. Officers and employees will be talking with grief counselors during the next several days, he said. "You always chuckled when you got a chance to talk to Roy. You know, he had a heart of gold. If you needed something and you asked him, he'd do it for you."

Settle-Wilder Funeral Home is handling arrangements. A memorial service had not been set.

submitted by Jim Cortina

Investigators with the Florida Highway Patrol were back on the scene of a deadly crash Monday as they tried to find out who ran a New Smyrna Beach police officer off the road and never stopped. Adding insult to injury, police said someone vandalized the makeshift memorial to Officer Roy Nelson, Jr. overnight.
Just when Nelson's comrades thought their grief couldn't get any worse, it turned to anger Monday morning when they learned someone had walked away with a piece of the memorial they worked so hard to build.
Nelson's colleagues are now using a staple gun to secure his ever-growing roadside memorial after they discovered a patch left in his memory had been stolen overnight. One sergeant called it a slap in the face to a department that's still very much in shock over its first-ever death in the line of duty.
"We've never experienced this. I don't know. It's gonna be one day at a time for every one of us," said Sgt. Mike Brouillette, New Smyrna Beach Police Department.
Nelson and his police dog Caesar were heading onto the mainland on the city's south causeway late Saturday night, responding to a burglary in progress, when eyewitnesses said a pickup truck turned into his path, sending him out of control and off the road. Neither Officer Roy Nelson, Jr. nor K-9 Ceasar survived.
"Your heart is broken. It's not easy, it's not easy," said friend Donna DeGraff. Like many local cops, Nelson was a regular at the Pappas Drive Inn, a few blocks from police headquarters. It was there, just the other day, when Donna Walsh saw him for the last time.
He ordered the regular, right down to the chocolate milk, and then he talked about his daughters, ages 2 and 13, and his other child, his K-9 Caesar, who went home with him every day. "He said his kids really loved him and he was part of the family," Walsh said.
The Highway Patrol has taken over the crash investigation and, because the cars didn't actually collide, they're calling this a non-contact hit and run and are looking for a white pickup truck, possibly a late '90s model Ford F-150. However, because the truck had been traveling in the opposite direction from where the police car went off the road, troopers said it's possible the driver has no idea there even was a crash. They're asking him or her to step forward and take responsibility.

submitted by Jason Campbell

Man denies role in crash that killed officer, K9

By MARK I. JOHNSON Staff Writer November 08, 2005
Daytona Beach News-Journal FL

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The Florida Highway Patrol is recommending a felony charge be filed against a New Smyrna Beach resident in the traffic death of a police officer and his K-9 partner. However, an attorney for Gordon Camp, 71, said while his client was in the area of the Aug. 13 fatality, he was not involved in the crash. The FHP traffic homicide report on the crash that killed New Smyrna Beach Police Officer Roy Nelson and his dog, Ceasar, recommends Camp be charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving death, state attorney spokeswoman Linda Pruitt said. "Our review of the report requires that additional investigation is needed before we make any decision whether or not to file charges," Pruitt said Monday. If charged and convicted of the second-degree felony, Camp could face up to 15 years in prison.
The preliminary FHP accident report said the 36-year-old officer was driving his patrol car west on the city's South Causeway while responding to a law enforcement call when witnesses said a white pickup pulled into his path from Richmond Drive. When Nelson swerved to miss the truck, his car struck a guardrail and flipped. He was traveling in excess of 70 mph in the 50-mph zone and was not wearing his seat belt, according to the report. Reached at his home Monday afternoon, Camp declined to comment and referred questions to his attorney, Michael Lambert of Daytona Beach. Lambert said Camp was heading home from a party on Richmond Drive about the time of the 11:40 p.m. accident and was driving a white pickup. But, he said, Camp indicated he had safely crossed the causeway's westbound lanes and was in the median waiting to turn left when his wife saw a police car "shoot" behind them without emergency lights or siren on. Camp turned the truck east and went home, never knowing an accident occurred, the attorney said. Once they learned about the accident, Lambert said, the Camps contacted him and he arranged for interviews with FHP investigators through the State Attorney's Office. "When they came to me, they realized they needed to come forward to police because at best they were witnesses and at worst they may have been the white truck law enforcement was looking for," he said. "They went above and beyond." FHP spokeswoman Trooper Kim Miller said she could not comment on what led investigators to recommend charges against Camp, citing the ongoing investigation. New Smyrna Beach police spokesman Sgt. Mike Brouillette also said he could not comment. Camp's next-door neighbor, who asked that her name not be used, described him as "a good neighbor and a good friend," she said. "I don't know what to say." A review of court documents shows Camp was cited three times for traffic infractions in 2003 and 2004. One ticket was for failing to obey a traffic control device. Another was for failing to yield at an unsigned intersection, and the third for unlawful speed. He paid fines for each of the infractions. Nelson was the first New Smyrna Beach police officer to die in the line of duty.

follow up submitted by Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA

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