In Loving
Memory of
K-9 INGO
October
24, 2004
Partner: Officer Andy
Gluba
Albemarle County Police Department
401 McIntire Road
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-4596
Phone: 434-296-5807, Fax: 434-972-4061
The Albemarle
Police Department regrets to inform the public
that police canine Ingo died, October 24, 2004
as the result of gunshot wounds sustained during
an apprehension of a burglary suspect. After
being shot and paralyzed in the rear end during
this altercation, Ingo continued to engage the
suspect. His actions most probably saved the
officers life. Ingo was 9 ½ years old and had
been with the Department since 1998. His
handler, numerous officers, and other canine
handlers from around the region surrounded Ingo
when he died. A memorial service will be held
at a later date.
|
Anyone wanting to
contribute to a fund to for a
replacement canine may contact
Corporal Rob Heide
Phone: 434-872-4575.
Donations may be made to
Albemarle County Police
Foundation.
401 McIntire Road
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-4596
|
Ingo was a
Czechoslovakian born and trained German Shepherd
that was imported to the United States in 1995.
He was purchased by the Albemarle County Police
Department shortly there after and began a very
productive career. During his six years of
service, Ingo had numerous arrests, tracks, and
drug finds to his credit. One of his several
apprehensions of note was that of escaped
convicted rapist Timothy Eades and a recent drug
find of more than five pounds of marijuana.
Ingo’s list of training certifications is
extensive. In 2003, he obtained the title of
Certified Police Dog II and was one of only
three dogs in this tri-state region to achieve
this honor.
Recently, Ingo
almost succumbed to an illness commonly referred
to as “bloat”, an illness from which most dogs
do not recover let alone regain the ability to
come back as a fully productive working police
canine . Shortly after extensive surgery, Ingo
was cleared by his veterinarian to return to
full working status, which is a true
representation of Ingo’s drive and desire to
serve the Albemarle County community and Police
Department. The relationship between a
police canine, the handler, and the Department
is one of the most unique in existence, based as
it is on the understanding that the dog may be
required to sacrifice its life to save a citizen
or an officer. Understanding this sacrifice
does not lessen the strong bond that develops
between dog and handler, and which extends to
the officer’s family as well as every member of
the Police Department.
submitted by
Rob Heide
and below by Jim Cortina, Dir.
CPWDA
Dog's death touches
many
By Reed Williams / Daily Progress staff writer
November 15, 2004
Albemarle
County canine handler Andy Gluba received about
200 e-mails and more than 100 cards offering
condolences after his German shepherd, Ingo, was
fatally shot in a gunfight last month. One of
the
most moving expressions of sympathy Gluba
received was a silver bracelet with "Canine
Ingo" engraved on it. A note inside the box said
only that the gift was from Officer Hannan and
Canine Stryker. There was no return address, and
Gluba was unable to identify or contact the
sender. "It brought me to tears," he said last
week. "They did not even make it particularly
easy to thank this person." Canine handlers and
police officers nationwide have offered their
support, along with many local community
members. Gluba is expecting at least 40 canine
teams, including at least two from out of state,
to attend a memorial service for Ingo on
Wednesday. As many as 500 people are expected.
It is scheduled for 11 a.m. in front of the
Albemarle County Office Building at 401 McIntire
Road. In case of inclement weather, it will be
moved inside the building to the auditorium.
The service will include bagpipers, a
trumpeter and
award presentations. Teague Funeral and
Cremation Service donated a memorial stone that
is on display at the county's new office off
Fifth Street Extended and an urn for Ingo's
ashes. Gluba and Ingo were partners for six
years. "Fortunately, we've never had an officer
die in the line of duty," county police Capt.
Crystal Limerick said. "In effect, this is the
first officer that was lost in the line of
duty."
Police have
charged Robert Lee Cooke, 31, with shooting Ingo
on Oct. 24 and with breaking into a duplex and
stealing a gun just before the shootout. Gluba
had responded to a burglary call on Reservoir
Road and chased a man toward Fontaine Avenue,
releasing Ingo. The dog was shot
through the
spine and later euthanized. Gluba and the
fugitive exchanged fire and Cooke was shot
twice, police have said. Cooke was released from
the hospital this week and has a court hearing
scheduled for Dec. 9.
Explaining the support he has received from
around the nation, Gluba said canine handlers
form an especially close-knit community. "We're
all police officers, but it takes a special kind
of person to work as a team with a dog, and I
think that's why people have an even tighter
bond among canine officers," he said. All this
has helped Gluba cope with the loss of his dog,
he said, though it has been difficult. At first
he felt some guilt about Ingo's death. But he
said other officers helped him realize that he
didn't send Ingo to his death so much as he sent
him to do his duty, which led to his death. "I
know in my heart of hearts, if he wouldn't have
done what he did, instead of me explaining to my
children that Ingo died protecting daddy," he
said, "someone would have been explaining that
11 their daddy's not here anymore."
*******************************
UPDATE: Dec. 19, 2005
Police dog
memorial to be created
By NRVToday
The Virginia Police Work Dog Association (VPWDA)
and the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of
Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech have
announced plans to create a memorial to honor
police dogs killed in the line of duty. The
proposed memorial statue will be installed on
the veterinary college’s campus at Virginia Tech
in Blacksburg. The United States Police Canine
Association (USPCA) is also participating in the
project. College spokesman Jeff Douglas says
the concept of such a memorial began a few years
ago. The idea started getting serious
consideration a year and a half ago, and a
campaign to raise money for the project was
announced this October, on the one-year
anniversary of the death of a police dog in the
line of duty in Albemarle County. So the
college and the Work Dog Association are seeking
contributions to build the memorial, which will
likely center on a statue of a German Shepherd
police dog. The cost may reach $50,000. Money
has been coming in, says Douglas, as has
interest in designing the memorial. Douglas
says he has no doubts that a police dog memorial
would be a fitting tribute. The bond between
police handler and dog exceeds the strong
human-animal bond many of us feel with our own
pets. The program will be formally announced in
conjunction with an anniversary memorial service
held for Ingo, a nine-year old Albemarle County
Police Department German Shepherd that was
killed on Oct. 24, 2004 during the apprehension
of a burglary suspect that possibly saved the
life of handler Officer Andy Gluba. That
ceremony and a series of police dog
demonstrations will be held on Saturday, Oct.
22, 2005 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Albemarle High
School in Charlottesville. There are an
estimated 250-300 working police dogs in
Virginia, according to Officer John Hoover of
the Roanoke City Police Department. Hoover, a
certified master trainer with the North American
Police Work Dog Association (NAPWDA) and a
master trainer with the VPWDA, has been working
to develop interest in such a memorial for
several years. “It’s tough to find the words
that describe the incredible role these dogs
play in law enforcement and public safety,” said
Hoover, who frequently conducts training
sessions for police handlers throughout the
mid-Atlantic region. “They put their lives on
the line every day, just like our officers. They
are partners and they are heroes.” Hoover said
that about a half-dozen animals have been killed
in the line of duty since they began playing an
active role in Virginia law enforcement about 35
years ago. Ingo was the most recent fatality in
Virginia, and in February 2005, the Virginia
Veterinary Medical Association posthumously
awarded Ingo its annual “Animal Hero Award.”
“We’re honored to partner with the law
enforcement community on a project that
celebrates such a noble cause,” said Gerhardt
Schurig, dean of the Virginia-Maryland Regional
College of Veterinary Medicine. “Our society has
become so deeply involved with animals as pets
that we sometimes forget about the important
contributions made every day by working and
service animals. Veterinarians have an important
responsibility to keep these working animals
healthy and vital.” Police dogs and their
handlers must undergo extensive training and can
earn a variety of certifications. For example,
the North American Police Work Dog Association
provides certifications in the categories of
patrol or criminal apprehension, accelerant,
bloodhound, cadaver, explosive, narcotics,
tracking and trailing, utility and wildlife.
Since 1983, the NAPWDA has certified more than
17,000 canine teams in the United States and
about 3800 of those are still functioning with
valid accreditations, according to the
organization’s web-site. The Virginia K-9
Memorial will be financed from private
donations, according to Hoover, who is one of
three NAPWDA master trainers in Virginia and
only 54 in the nation, according to the NAPWDA.
Interested citizens as well as organizations and
corporations familiar with the law enforcement
and security communities are invited to
participate in the project through charitable
donations. Those interested can forward
contributions to the Virginia Police K-9
Memorial Fund, Office of Development and Public
Relations, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of
Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg,
Va., 24061. |
Jury convicts man in police dog
killing
At the end of an emotional trial, an Albemarle
County jury found Robert Lee Cooke guilty of malicious
wounding of a K-9 in the killing of Ingo the police dog,
recommending that the Chesterfield man serve seven years
in prison. Cooke shot Ingo while the dog
chased him after a burglary off Reservoir Road,
prosecutors said, paralyzing the animal. Ingo,
considered a hero among the law enforcement ranks, was
put to sleep because of his injuries.
Officer Andy Gluba, Ingo’s handler, shot Cooke in the
back, paralyzing him from the waist down.
Cooke also faces a five-year mandatory minimum
sentence for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon
and will be formally sentenced by Judge James A. Luke
June 13. The 33-year-old Chesterfield
resident has been free on bond, but was remanded into
custody after the jury’s verdict.
Cooke’s attorneys, Janice Redinger and Dana Slater,
argued that their client shot Ingo in self-defense.
Cooke testified that he aimed his gun at the ground and
did not know that Ingo was a police dog.
After deputies wheeled Cooke out of the courtroom, his
mother burst into sobs. Commonwealth’s
Attorney Jim Camblos and some police officers who
attended the four-day trial also became emotional at
times, remembering the dog that served for six years.
"The commonwealth feels very good about the
verdict," Camblos said after Thursday’s proceedings.
"The jury spoke and rendered a very good verdict on
behalf of Ingo."
****************
|
Slain
police dog's final act detailed
By Reed Williams / Daily Progress
staff writer
October 26, 2004
Even after Officer Andy Gluba’s
canine was shot through the spine and partially
paralyzed, it continued to struggle toward the
gunman during a shootout Sunday in Albemarle County,
police said. “He was a hero,” Capt. Crystal
Limerick said of the police dog, Ingo. “He saved
Officer Gluba’s life.” he early morning gunfight
left burglary suspect Robert Lee Cooke in critical
condition and Ingo dead.
Cooke,
30, of Chesterfield, remained in intensive care
Monday at the University of Virginia Medical Center,
according to the Virginia State
Police. He was charged with two felonies: shooting a
police dog
and possession of a firearm as a
convicted felon.
Gluba is on paid administrative
leave, and state police are investigating the
shooting. Sunday’s incident began with a burglary
call to a two-story duplex at 1074 Reservoir Road.
Anthony Farish, who lives on the first floor of the
wooden house, said he heard someone upstairs at
about 1:30 a.m. He said he called 911 because the
man who lived upstairs was moving out and no longer
staying there.
“There’s someone up there and there
shouldn’t be,” Farish recalled thinking. “So I
called the cops.” Farish turned on the front porch
light and saw a police car arrive a few minutes
later. He said he saw a man walking down the gravel
driveway toward Reservoir Road and heard a police
officer shout, “Get down.
… Freeze.”
He said the officer then chased the
man toward Fontaine Avenue, and he heard a single
gunshot shortly afterward. Limerick said Gluba was
using Ingo to track the fugitive when the officer
came under fire. Gluba released Ingo, and the German
shepherd charged the gunman, the captain said.
Ultimately, the dog was shot in the back with a
large-caliber bullet and its rear legs were
paralyzed. “He continued to bark and he tried to
pull himself with his front legs to continue to move
at the guy,” Limerick said.
The
dog died within two hours.
State police Sgt. David Cooper
declined to say how many shots were fired or discuss
the details of the incident, except to confirm that
Gluba and the gunman exchanged gunfire. Albemarle
County police are investigating the burglary. They
said the second floor of the duplex had been
ransacked and it was unclear what, if anything, was
stolen. “We’re still working on that aspect of it,”
Sgt. James Bond said. “It looks like the place had
been gone through.”
The man who had
been living on the second floor declined to comment
Monday.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
UPDATE APRIL 21 2006
I have another little story that has
come to light after Ingo's death
Approximately 3 years ago, Ingo tracked and found (bit) an escaped
convicted rapist. This rapist was found within one block of where the
victim lived. Needless to say, he did her no further harm and she never was
able to meet Ingo or Andy. One week ago, Andy and Ingo responded to a
residential alarm and the owner asked him if he new Ofc. Gluba and Ingo. He
replied "well....that's us." The women identified herself as the rape
victim and asked to meet Ingo. Andy reluctantly agreed (worried that the
women might get bit) and she fully embraced Ingo like he was her own. Five
hours later Ingo was shot and killed. Now, was this arrangement made from
above or what?
~Rob
submitted
by Jim Cortina, CPWDA Dir., & Shane Newbrough. MO. PD Association. and by
John Seilback of
http://www.harfordsheriff.org/K9.htm
In Loving Memory of
K-9 IKE
July 2004
Handler: Officer Craig Bahe
St Charles Police Department
Chief of Police James
Lamkin
2 E State Ave
St Charles, Illinois 60174
(630)377-4435
STC police 'career patner' - Ike was
first canine on the force
by
Lindsay Cole, Shaw News Service
Officer Craig Bahe's most
unusual partner kept a low profile, understood only German and drank from a
bowl. "We spent 24 hours a day, seven days a week together" Bahe said, "He
was my bud." Bahe's police partner for eight years, Ike, was a German
shepherd, the first canine on the force. Ike died this week at age 12. News
of Ike's death saddened many at the police department. He was a vibrant
police dog, who worked at the front desk at the station. This dog had been
an active worker and a career partner.
Ike was a part of the community before he
joined the force in November 1994. Local businesses donated money to bring
him to town. A contest was conducted to name him. Ike was trained as a
multipurpose dog to sniff narcotics, bit and search buildings, as well as
conduct public demonstrations. We did hundreds of demonstrations for the
Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, schools in the area and "National Night Out." Bahe
said that Ike was quite the ham. He was born and trained in Germany so all
of this commands were in German. It was important for commands to be in
another language so that Ike couldn't be confused by other voices in a
crowd. Police Cmdr. Dave Jannusch said that Ike strengthened the force. It
was a tremendous step forward when we decided to take on a canine unit. Ike
was instrumental in all types of work; narcotics, searching and especially
for community operations in dealing with children and schools.
He created a connection between
children and the police department. While serving as a police dog and after
his retirement in 2002, Ike lived with Bahe and his family. Bahe described
Ike as a "built-in backup," and said it was nice to know someone always was
in the back seat with him. All he needed to do was push a button and Ike
would be released. Bahe said Ike saved time with searches. It takes a dog 3
minutes to sniff an entire car for narcotics, but it can take a human
hours. Ike was instrumental when it came to searching for criminals.
Without him, we wouldn't have known which direction to go. His ability to
track scent was much faster than it was for us to search an entire field.
Ike also was useful when searching for people in buildings. Ike added the
intimidation factor. I wouldn't even finish informing the person that a
canine was coming in and they would run right person. Ike & Bahe helped
set up the department's canine program for the future. It keeps one police
dog at a time that generally works for 8 to 10 years. For a while Ike was
the only police dog in the Tri-Cities and was called to help out in South
Elgin, Batavia and Geneva. His veterinary services were donated by the
Gateway Veternary Clinic and his food was donated by Critters Pet Shop, even
after he retired.
submitted by Lorrain Wright, St. Charles,
IL (,my Maid of Honor)
In Loving
Memory of
K-9
K-9 IGOR
June 24, 2004
SAR Handler: Deputy Dave Bishop
ISAR
1225 Hawley
Jessup, IA
50648
Deputy Dave Bishop joined
Iowa Search and Rescue in 1996 with his canine Igor and they certified
together in 1998. Due to work commitments Dave resigned but returned in
2000. Igor is the only ISAR canine that completely went through the
entire certification process twice. He flew through it the second time
like he was never away. In the six years Igor served with ISAR he
helped in many successful searches and became an icon in Blackhawk County in building an affiliation between
the sheriffs department and Iowa Search and Rescue.As all SAR canines
are, he was totally dedicated to Dave and was a prime example of not
only what a non aggressive, well behaved SAR canine should be, but was
an excellent example of what everyone likes to see in a German Shepherd.
Igor became suddenly ill and it was
discovered that he had cancer. Our hearts have broken with
Dave’s today as all ISAR members were
forced to say good bye to one of ISAR’s greatest assets, our
Igor.
submitted by Shirley & Anne
|
|
Memorials
to Fallen K-9s