Died – 5\/22\/17
\nHandler – Officer Zach Livingston, Sgt. Doug Black, Officer Matthew Pinson, Officer Cody Wyatt, & Officer Charlie Burke<\/p>\n
To honor for service: Flag ceremony remembers former Coweta Police canine officer <\/p>\n
Coweta Canine Officer \u201cChalet\u201d was remembered at a solemn flag lowering ceremony Tuesday, May 23 at the Coweta Police Department, where he served faithfully in office from October 17, 2006 until February 9, 2015. The police service dog died on Monday, May 15 which ironically was National Police Officer Memorial Day. Several Coweta officers were joined by representatives with the Broken Arrow Police Department, Wagoner Police Department and Wagoner County Sheriff\u2019s Office to pay their final respects to Chalet for a job well done. \u201cThe bulk of Chalet\u2019s professional career was spent rooting out illegal narcotics,\u201d Coweta Police Chief Michael Bell said. \u201cHe was deployed many times for apprehensions, article recoveries and to track suspects and lost persons.\u201d When he was first certified, Officer Chalet was assigned to Officer Zach Livingston. During his career he was also assigned to Sgt. Doug Black, Officer Matthew Pinson and Officer Cody Wyatt. His most recent handler was Officer Charlie Burke, and Bell called them the \u201cright fit\u201d as the department\u2019s longest running controlled dangerous substance detector team. They worked together nearly five years. The American flag retired in front of the department during Chalet\u2019s memorial service was presented to Officer Burke who, along with his family, provided the service dog with his forever home after his retirement.\u201cOfficer Burke and his family, Amanda and the kids, will miss Chalet greatly and so will all of his law enforcement family,\u201d Bell assured. Chalet went through a number of handlers, and at one time in 2012 there was talk about donating him back to the kennel. Burke volunteered to take him in and began the necessary training. \u201cGoing through training, the bond you have with your dog is unmatched to any human partner you could have,\u201d Burke explained. \u201cYou spend more time with them, it\u2019s 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. They are with you all the time and there is no getting away or days off. You still have to keep the dog fresh for training.\u201d The officer called Chalet \u201ctemperamental\u201d, saying he had his moments when he would let people know he was a dominant figure in the world. \u201cHe had a switch, and when you put him in the patrol unit, he went into work shift mode. If you got near his car, he would let you know,\u201d Burke recalled. \u201cI could tell the days when he was feeling really good and the days when he wasn\u2019t. You could tell if it was going to be a good work day.\u201d The canine officer only had one live bite during his tenure. In 2012, Burke was conducting a pedestrian check at Kum and Go and the man ran from police after repeatedly being told to stop. Chalet chased him down. \u201cIt turns out that same guy is the one who drug my dad (former Wagoner County Deputy Kelly Burke) down Highway 51 for about a half a mile after making a traffic stop in 2000.\u201d Kelly Burke had stopped to give the driver a motorist assist. As he was reaching to turn off the ignition, the driver jumped in and drove off with the officer\u2019s arm stuck in the steering wheel. He did time in prison for the incident, and when he got out, he had outstanding warrants against him. Charlie Burke said that is likely why he ran on the call in 2012. \u201cChalet showed me the first sign that karma is true,\u201d Burke said referring to that incident.On a positive note, the officer recalled when Chalet helped locate someone who suffered from dementia and had walked away from home in the middle of the night. Burke said the May 23 flag lowering ceremony means more to him than most people know as it shows others care. \u201cYou are told the whole time you are a canine handler that your dog is nothing but a tool, and then something like this reassures you that they do care and notice things,\u201d he said. \u201cI was his fifth handler, and there were four other guys who had a bond with him as well. They understand what it\u2019s like to lose something like this and know the feelings I have.\u201d The flag presented to Burke in Chalet\u2019s memory will be on permanent display in the Burke home. The officer continues to work with his current canine partner, Zee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Died – 5\/22\/17 Handler – Officer Zach Livingston, Sgt. Doug Black, Officer Matthew Pinson, Officer Cody Wyatt, & Officer Charlie Burke To honor for service: Flag ceremony remembers former Coweta Police canine officer Coweta Canine Officer \u201cChalet\u201d was remembered at a solemn flag lowering ceremony Tuesday, May 23 at the Coweta Police Department, where he …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3372,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[12],"class_list":["post-3370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-ok"],"yoast_head":"\n