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Died 12/28/23
Handler – Sergeant Joe Szakacs
Syracuse Police Department announces loss of two K9 officers on same day
The Syracuse Police Department announced that two of its retired K9s Nik and Jack have passed away.Both dogs passed away on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023.The department posted the news to X, saying “Our courageous four legged Officers will be missed greatly.”Syracuse Police Sergeant Joe Szakacs and Nik successfully completed New York State D.C.J.S. courses in Patrol/Tracking and Explosives Detection, earning NYS certifications in these disciplines in 2013. During K9 Nik’s career, he performed 140 building searches, 14 tracks, 19 criminal apprehensions, 31 instances of Officer protection, and 173 explosives detection sweeps. After approximately seven years of service to the City of Syracuse, K9 Nik retired with his handler in 2019.K9 Jack was purchased and assigned to Officer Quick of the Syracuse Police Department’s K9 Unit in the spring of 2015. Officer Quick and K9 Jack completed their DCJS Patrol/Tracking school and Detector school in the same year and the team was deployed onto the streets of Syracuse. K9 Jack worked alongside Officer Quick until 2023 when he was retired. K9 Jack was among the largest dogs in the unit and was the primary K9 utilized alongside Syracuse PD’s SWAT team. He assisted in countless warrant executions alongside the SWAT Operators ensuring their safety and their protection. Over his career, K9 Jack conducted 122 building searches, 6 tracks, 19 criminal apprehensions, 30 instances of Officer protection and 216 explosive detection sweeps. K9 Jack passed away on his 10th birthday.”Both K9 Nik and K9 Jack were integral pieces of the K9 Unit as a whole and worked alongside two of the finest K9 Handlers and Trainers that the Unit has produced. To our brave and courageous four legged Officers, you will be missed greatly by the K9 Unit, Syracuse Police Department and the City of Syracuse. Thank you for your years of service and your unwavering dedication to keeping your handlers, the Officers you worked with and the City of Syracuse Safe,” the Syracuse Police Department wrote in a Facebook post.
