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In Loving Memory
of
K-9 GUS
August 23, 2004
Partner: Deputy Joe Keil
Manitowoc
County Sheriff Office
Sheriff
Thomas Kocourek
1025 S 9th St
Manitowoc, Wisconsin 54220
(414) 683-4200
On August 23, the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department suffered a loss that
has been deeply felt throughout the department. K9 Officer GUS, a male German
shepherd, passed away due to complications of anesthesia. K9 Officer Gus, in the
opinion of many at the Sheriff's Department was one of the best narcotics dogs
in the state. Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Keil and K9 Officer Gus worked together
since February 23, 1998. During this partnership, they confiscated hundreds of
pounds of illegal drugs, thousands of dollars in US currency, and numerous
vehicles used in these crimes with a reported combined value of over a half
million dollars. Deputy Keil and K9 Officer Gus were recognized as being one of
the top narcotics teams in the state, and have received numerous certificates
and commendations for the fine work they have done.
************
On August 27, a memorial was held to honor Gus. While that was appropriate, some
reports would lead one to believe that property taxpayer dollars were spent on
this memorial service. This was not
the case. Often the County Executive, County Board, and, in this case, the
County Sheriff must make budget decisions that aren't popular with the rank and
file. This was one of those times. With County departments once again struggling
to put together workable, bare-bones budgets, we often find there are many
things we would like to do that simply are not feasible. If the County would
have said "yes" to taxpayer dollars for this activity, it would be much harder
to say "no" to other worthwhile activities that we just simply cannot afford.
submitted by Jim
Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
In Loving Memory of
K-9 GERO
May 6, 2004
Handler: Officer Deanie Earthman
Grand Junction Police Department
625 Ute Ave.
Grand Junction, CO 81502
Tel #
(970) 244-3555
Police dog
killed in shootout
By ERIN
MCINTYRE AND MIKE WIGGINS
The
Daily Sentinel
A police dog was killed in a shootout
Thursday night between Grand Junction police
officers and a man wanted for outstanding
warrants. The wanted man also was shot and
was in critical condition late Thursday.
A
police officer went to the Aladdin
Apartments at 445 Chipeta Avenue shortly
before 7:30 p.m. to deliver court papers,
said officer Craig Campbell. “He saw a
subject in a different apartment that he
recognized as one of our local wanted
subjects,” said Sgt. Paul Quimby.The Daily
Sentinel learned the suspect is 26-year-old
John Robert Martinez, one of the Grand
Junction Police Department’s 10 Most Wanted
suspects. He was wanted for failing to
appear on a restraining order violation.
When the officer approached the
suspect, the suspect slammed the
door and would not come out of the
apartment, Campbell said.
The suspect tried to climb out of one of the
apartment windows as other officers arrived
on scene, Quimby said. Then the shooting
started.“He was armed and started shooting
at the officers,” Quimby said.Tom Lambert,
who lives across the street from the
shooting, said he heard two sets of shots
and then a single shot. “There were several
different barrages of gunfire,” Quimby
said. It was not clear how many shots were
fired by police or the suspect Thursday
night. As officers were waiting outside the
apartment for backup, they heard one more
shot from inside the building, Campbell
said. When officers entered the apartment,
they found the man bleeding on the floor, he
said. Campbell would not say where the man
was shot or if police believed it to be a
self-inflicted gunshot wound.
At 10 p.m. Thursday, a St.
Mary’s Hospital nursing supervisor said the
suspect involved in the shooting was in
critical condition.Neighbors
said they heard between six and ten shots
fired. They said they saw a dog lying in the
middle of the street and a “big guy” being
taken away on a stretcher.Gero,
a 5-year-old German shepherd who had been
with the department for three years, was hit
with one of the first shots fired, Quimby
and Campbell said. About a dozen
people gathered around the front door of All
Pets Center on South Fifth Street, hugging
and talking, shortly before Gero’s death was
announced.Potential
charges for shooting a police canine include
felony criminal mischief
and
aggravated cruelty to animals, Campbell
said.The Grand Junction Police Department’s
policy for handling officer-involved
shootings allows the chief to put the
officer involved on administrative leave.
An officer-involved shooting could lead to
anything from a supervisory inquiry on use
of force to a criminal investigation,
Campbell said.Campbell
said the shooting still is under
investigation by the Police
Department, and the Mesa County Sheriff’s
Department and the Colorado Bureau of
Investigations will be investigating.
Officers with the Sheriff’s Department
crowded the Police Department late Thursday.
submitted by
Jim Cortina, Dir. CPWDA
&
Paul Quimby
&
Lisa
Maestas
***************
Slain Police K9
Buried as Hero
Grand Junction, CO
- 5/16/2004 By Nancy Lofholm -
Denver Post
Grand Junction police officer
Geraldine Earthman lived with her canine police
partner, Gero. She trained with him. She
patrolled the streets of Grand Junction with
him. She counted on him to protect her. On
Saturday, Earthman was alive to cradle Gero's
ashes at a memorial service because the
5-year-old German shepherd had done his job. He
put himself between a man who was firing at
Earthman and
another officer on May 6 and took a fatal
bullet that could have injured or killed one of
them. For that, Gero - a dog that fellow
officers affectionately noted "loved to bite" -
was memorialized Saturday just as any other
fallen officer would be. The first police dog
to be shot in the line of duty in Colorado in 20
years had a motorcade across Grand Junction. He
had a full-dress church funeral that reduced
burly police officers to tears and had other
police canines from across Colorado - the "paw
bearers" - barking at the end of eulogies.
Officers from as far away as Arvada and Cortez
came with black ribbon over their badges. Fire
trucks crossed ladders and hung an American flag
at the entrance to the church. Families stood
along roadways as
officers passed. "Gero gave 110 percent
all day long every day," said officer Lincoln
Folkers, who served as a decoy for Gero's
training. "I'm gonna miss being afraid of him."
Gero was shot when Earthman and officer Eric
Janusz responded to another officer's call for
assistance in arresting a man wanted on an
outstanding warrant. Janusz said he, Earthman
and Gero went to the back of an apartment
building to look for 26-year-old John Robert
Martinez. Martinez came out a window firing at
the officers. They had no cover. Janusz said
Gero did exactly what he has been trained to do
as one of about 125 police canines in Colorado.
"He saw the threat and went towards it. He went
directly in front of us and
saved our lives," Janusz said.
"Because of his heroic actions, the Grand
Junction Police Department still has two
officers on the force." Martinez was shot in
the arm by officers during the altercation and
went back into the apartment building and shot
himself in the head, according to a coroner's
findings. The incident brought out a
groundswell of sympathy in Grand Junction.
Citizens sent flowers and cards to the police
department, thanking officers for the dangerous
job they do as well as offering condolences on
Gero's death. People and businesses have donated
more than $3,000 so the department can buy
another dog and train it, which costs about
$10,000. Gero had come to Grand
Junction from Slovakia as a skinny, dirty and
undersized shepherd badly in need of training.
He would snarl at anyone who came near him. But
Earthman and other officers came to recognize
his good qualities, including the fact that he
was "wildly eager" to serve. "Gero was proud to
serve and protect," said officer Jerry Hudson.
"His No. 1 mission was to do the right thing for
(Earthman) and his other officers." PHOTO: An
officer and his canine partner pay their final
respects to Gero, a Grand Junction police dog
killed when he charged a gunman, saving the life
of his partner and another
officer.
Farewell to Gero -Sunday, May 16,
2004 - By DANIE HARRELSON The Daily
Sentinel
Police officers and firemen read
poetry. Veterinarians talked shop. Dogs yelped.
And a little boy cried. Saturday's tribute to
one of the Grand Junction Police Department's
finest was as unique as Gero, the slain cop
canine it honored. A May 6 gunfight between
police and a wanted man ended the German
shepherd's two years of service to the
department and the community. The man who shot
Gero,
26-year-old John Robert Martinez, died two days
later from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Gero's human colleagues and admirers, an
estimated 600 people, commemorated his sacrifice
with anecdotes, video clips and a few tears at
Canyon View Vineyard Church. "My wife and my
child have a husband and a father thanks to
you," said Officer Eric Janusz, who recounted
the night Gero died. The 5-year-old dog took a
bullet that could have hit him or Gero's
handler, Officer Geraldine Earthman.
Those who addressed the crowd
struggled for words to describe the dog.
"Wild eagerness," veterinarian Bruce Kronkright
said. He and veterinarian Mark Asmus recalled
Gero's obvious impatience when they treated him
for injuries. The dog was more interested in
getting back to work. Firefighters Gus Hend-ricks
and Lincoln Folkers spoke of helping Earthman
train Gero. The two men served as "decoys,"
which often put them on the receiving end of
Gero's bite. Before they sat down, both men
told Earthman they were ready to pick up where
they left off when she was ready to take on a
new dog. Grand Junction Police Chief Greg
Morrison spoke on Earthman's behalf. She called
Gero an "attention hound." Law enforcement and
emergency personnel throughout Colorado turned
out to honor the fallen German shepherd. About
a dozen canine officers took turns paying their
respects before the service began. Handlers,
with their hounds close behind, paused and
saluted beforeGero's remains, collar and badge. "You can't
express it in words," said Bureau of Land
Management ranger Dee Lehman, who brought her
dog, Hattie, from Glenwood Springs to the
service. Kenyon Hendricks tried to tell the
audience how much he missed his friend. He
wasn't tall enough to reach the microphone. He
cried a little and then took a deep breath
before his last thought. "Now you are in a big
police station in the sky," he said.
In Loving
Memory of
K-9 GUNNER
February 19, 2004
Partner: Officer Charles
Smith
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police
address:
704 336 7658
the K9 Unit
Officer Smith lost his retired dog, Gunner on
Thursday, Feb. 19th due to a heart attack. He joined the department in January
of 2001. He served for over a year and retired due to an enlarged heart. Officer
Smith currently handles K-9 Max.
submitted by Dusty Simon
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Memorials
to Fallen K-9s