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Died – 11/29/20
Handler – Officer Darrell Johnson
Whether sniffing around at community events or energetically making his rounds at UNLV Police Services, Buster, the department’s beloved police dog, knew how to win people over. Customarily, the 8-year-old springer spaniel would arrive at police headquarters, sprint into each office and “just greet everybody,” lightening the mood, Lt. Paul Velez said Tuesday. His colleagues would immediately miss him after he left, Velez added. Buster died unexpectedly Sunday after suffering a seizure, said Velez, adding that even writing the death announcement for the UNLV community made him tear up. With Buster’s death, UNLV Police was left without a K-9 officer, although the department is working to replace him. His cuteness and playful charm belied the gravity of Buster’s job responsibilities: He specialized in detecting explosives. He and his handler, Officer Darrell Johnson, would sweep large UNLV events, such as football or basketball games at Sam Boyd Stadium or the Thomas & Mack Center. Buster excelled at it but was an even better “ambassador” representing school police at community events, Velez said. “He was just so energetic and full of life … so attentive and friendly to everybody.” Buster, born in Ireland, came to Las Vegas in 2013 to join the department when he was a year old. He logged about 300 hours of training with Metro Police to detect explosives. UNLV credits buster with safeguarding more than 3,000 events, helping protect crowds throughout the valley, including gatherings at other colleges. He was “such a great dog,” Velez said. “It’s just a blow to the department.”
