Died – 6\/9\/21
\nHandler – Officer Kitco<\/p>\n
Ohio police mourn the loss of K9 officer Max <\/p>\n
The employees within the Grove City Division of Police are mourning the loss of one of their own. In early June, Max, the 8-year-old canine officer with the police department died.
\nAccording to Lt. Jason Stern, a cancerous growth was discovered, resulting in an emergency surgery for the Belgian Malinois, who had been with the police department since 2015. It was a risky procedure and Max did not make it through the surgery. \u201cIt was so unexpected,\u201d said Stern. \u201cMost of us are still processing it. It is shocking. He was so healthy and had endless energy.\u201d
\nMany officers worked closely with the canine, but none more so than Brian Kitko, who was Max\u2019s handler. Kitko worked and trained with Max all day. He would then take Max home at the end of their shift. \u201cThey were almost inseparable,\u201d said Stern. \u201cThey had a remarkable connection.\u201d Max joined the Grove City Division of Police when he was 2 years old. He was the city\u2019s first canine officer since the 1960s. He came from France and was initially trained through Storm Dog, a training facility in Delaware County. Kitko and Max were certified as a law enforcement canine unit through the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission. According to the division of police, Max served with the special operations bureau and patrol. He was deployed more than 1,290 times and assisted in more than 600 arrests. \u201cThat is pretty tremendous,\u201d said Stern. \u201cThat is about 100 arrests a year. That is a lot for anybody.\u201d Max was trained in narcotics detection, criminal apprehension, and article search. Not only was Max a benefit for the police department, but he was also a community asset. \u201cMax was kind of a celebrity,\u201d said Stern. Kitko and Max participated in Grove City events, marched in parades, and they were regular presenters at the Grove City Library. \u201cThat was a bigger role for Max than anticipated,\u201d said Stern. \u201cBrian (Kitko) embraced that. Max was a serious working dog \u2013 he was all business. But he would go out in the community around kids, and he was great. That was a well-done component of Brian\u2019s job.\u201d On June 15, Max\u2019s remains were returned to Grove City. \u201cThat was a somber affair,\u201d said Stern. According to Stern, several officers volunteered their time to take part in a police procession as Kitko brought Max\u2019s remains back to the city. It was a small, private matter, as requested by Officer Kitko. Stern said there are no plans for a public memorial. He said there is a patio at the police office, on Park Street, with bricks that feature the names of retired officers. Stern said they may dedicate a brick to Max. As for the future of the canine program in the Grove City Division of Police, Stern said that is unknown. \u201cThe sudden nature (of Max\u2019s death) caught us flat footed,\u201d said Stern. \u201cWe are not prepared to open that door yet.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 6\/9\/21 Handler – Officer Kitco Ohio police mourn the loss of K9 officer Max The employees within the Grove City Division of Police are mourning the loss of one of their own. In early June, Max, the 8-year-old canine officer with the police department died. According to Lt. Jason Stern, a cancerous growth …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10832,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[11],"class_list":["post-10751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-oh"],"yoast_head":"\n