Died 12\/29\/22
\nHandler – Deputy Sean Forsyth<\/p>\n
Montgomery County officials honor memory of sheriff\u2019s office K-9 Bikkel<\/p>\n
It was standing room only for the start of Thursday morning\u2019s Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meeting as deputies gathered to mourn the loss of K-9 Bikkel.The 10-year-old explosives and patrol K-9 officer died of an age-related illness on Dec. 29, 2022, according to a spokesperson from the Montgomery County Sheriff\u2019s Office.\u201cThis was not just the loss of a K-9, this was a loss of part of the Montgomery County Sheriff\u2019s Office family, and part of the greater Montgomery County law enforcement community,\u201d said Sheriff Sean Kilkenny.His partner, Deputy Sean Forsyth, held back tears as he addressed Montgomery County Commissioners\u2019 Vice Chairman Ken Lawrence Jr. and Commissioner Joe Gale.\u201cThis is a really tough time for me,\u201d Forsyth said.The Belgian Malinois was born in the Netherlands and trained in explosive protection and patrol capabilities before getting partnered up with Forsyth in 2013. Bikkel was certified by the Professional Law Enforcement Canine Training and Certifying and was the \u201conly bomb sniffing K-9 in Montgomery County,\u201d Kilkenny said.Bikkel received an award in car, room and overall explosive detection from the U.S. Police Canine Association, according to Kilkenny.Forsyth described Bikkel as \u201chis first kid\u201d and the law enforcement dog became part of his own family. Forsyth\u2019s wife was seen in the crowd sniffling and using a tissue as tears streamed down her face.He thanked fellow officers for rallying around him. Lawrence and Gale each expressed their condolences. Lawrence called for a moment of silence to honor Bikkel and his memory.Gale agreed, adding that Bikkel showed \u201cunconditional discipline and service\u201d to the Montgomery County Sheriff\u2019s Office. Lawrence added, \u201cDeputy Forsyth, we\u2019re truly sorry for your loss, and I know that it\u2019s a personal loss,\u201d Lawrence said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died 12\/29\/22 Handler – Deputy Sean Forsyth Montgomery County officials honor memory of sheriff\u2019s office K-9 Bikkel It was standing room only for the start of Thursday morning\u2019s Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meeting as deputies gathered to mourn the loss of K-9 Bikkel.The 10-year-old explosives and patrol K-9 officer died of an age-related illness …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13483,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[14],"class_list":["post-13481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-pa"],"yoast_head":"\n