K9 Hawkeye – Prince William, Virginia

Handler – Officer Bill VanAntwerp

Prince William police say goodbye to veteran police dog

Hawkeye, a retired Prince William County police dog who served with his human partner for eight years, died this weekend. The 13-year-old German shepherd served alongside Master Police Officer Bill VanAntwerp from 2006 to 2015. He died peacefully with his family by his side, police said. Hawkeye was a dual-purpose dog certified in narcotic detection and criminal apprehension. “He made countless apprehensions, ultimately locating suspects in every possible environment. There was comfort knowing K9 Hawkeye was on the street patrolling at night,” the department said. Tuesday afternoon. Besides his regular patrol duties, Hawkeye and VanAntwerp made up Prince William County’s first SWAT canine team. “They were a valuable tool that aided the department in critical moments. This requires additional testing into a dog’s behavior/response when working in an environment that is highly volatile and in close proximity to SWAT Team members,” police said. During his time on the job, Hawkeye received several certifications and awards presented by the United States Police Canine Association including tracking, suspect search, agility, criminal apprehension and basic obedience. “We were lucky to have Hawkeye serving our department and the citizens of Prince William County. He was a true hero,” police 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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