Handler – Capt. Nick Campbell<\/p>\n
Pine Ridge police bid farewell to fallen K-9 officer<\/p>\n
Pine Ridge police lost one of their own last week when a K\u20139 narcotics officer named Czar passed away. On Tuesday, officers gathered in Kyle to pay their last respects. \u201cHe meant everything to me,\u201d said Oglala Sioux Tribal Police Capt. Nick Campbell. \u201cI spent more time with him than with my family.\u201d Campbell was Czar’s handler for more than two years. He was crestfallen when the dog suffered a fatal accident at home. \u201cWe spent every day working the streets, eating together and everything,\u201d he said. \u201cI’d be doing reports and he’d be lying behind me. To see him pass away like that, it’s heartbreaking to say the least.\u201d Law enforcement officers joined together to show Czar the respect he’d earned in his years fighting drug crime. \u201cThese K-9 (officers), from the time they’re born, from when they’re little puppies, they’re in law enforcement,\u201d said Bennett County Sheriff Paul Williams. \u201cThey\u2019re family. They\u2019re front line officers.\u201d The law officers also gathered to show support for Campbell. \u201cHe’s just going through a tough time,\u201d said OST Interim Police Chief Mark Mesteth. \u201cWe’re all here to support him and wish him well.\u201d The department plans to find a replacement K\u20139 narcotics officer. And Campbell? Will he take on another K\u20139 partner? He says yes. \u201cJust like anywhere else, our drug problem is pretty bad,\u201d said Campbell. \u201cThe K-9 plays a pretty big role in our in our drug enforcement. So to look at the big picture, it would be good to have more dogs here.\u201dCzar was the first Pine Ridge K\u20139 officer to pass away while on active duty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Handler – Capt. Nick Campbell Pine Ridge police bid farewell to fallen K-9 officer Pine Ridge police lost one of their own last week when a K\u20139 narcotics officer named Czar passed away. On Tuesday, officers gathered in Kyle to pay their last respects. \u201cHe meant everything to me,\u201d said Oglala Sioux Tribal Police Capt. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3717,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[63],"class_list":["post-3715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-k9memorial","tag-sd"],"yoast_head":"\n