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2010 -
Tributes For Police and Military K9
Handlers
Note :
Some of these tributes
are for police canine officers that were killed in the line of duty and
some for officers that died while off duty. Also included are military
canine handlers that were killed during wars.

Both
officer and K9 were killed in line of duty


Cpl.
Clovis Wayne "J.R." Searcy
March 6, 2010 - Monroe, Louisiana, - Age 33
Cpl.
J.R. Searcy, 33, was finishing his 12 hour day shift around 6 p.m. on
3/4/10 when he
arrived at the
scene to back up another deputy . Searcy, who was off duty at the time,
responded to a call . He just finished his shift, but went out to
assist a fellow deputy. He was
responding to a call about a reported aggravated assault on Browning
Road near Louisiana 34 in southwestern Ouachita Parish. It was reported
that a suspect,
Michael Tanner, 26,
had tried to run people over with his vehicle. When the deputies
arrived, they confronted the suspect standing outside of his vehicle.
Corporal Searcy had his Taser in his hand, and ordered the suspect to
put his hands up who was approximately 15 yards away. As the suspect
raised his hands, he suddenly pulled a .40 caliber handgun that he had
concealed in the small of his back, and opened fire, striking Corporal
Searcy twice. Cpl. Searcy didn't have a chance to pull his
weapon from his holster. The second deputy returned fire, killing the
suspect. Corporal Searcy was taken to St. Francis Medical Center. One
bullet went through the brain, and the other was lodged at the base of
his brain. His
spinal cord was severed. The bullet
went in through the armhole of Searcy's bulletproof vest, and ricocheted
through the top of his spinal cord.
A brain scan
conducted two days later found no activity and was pronounced dead
around 10:40 p.m.,
two days later on 3/6/10.
Searcy's family was
making arrangements with the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency to allow
the deputy to become an organ donor, and so the life support apparatus
had remained on.
Corporal Searcy had served with the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office for
eight years.
He also served in
the United States Air Force 4 years as a military police officer. He was
also a successful business owner of C&K Searcy Enterprises, a lawn care
business. He is survived by his wife, Kerry,
of nine years and three
children, a son Justin, a daughter Maegan and step son Nicholas Lambert.
Donations
to the Family of Corporal Searcy can be made at any Progressive Bank at
any of the following locations,
Monroe: 1411 North 19th Street or 1398
Lamy Lane, West Monroe: 3421 Cypress Street or 701 Trenton Street.,
Winnsboro: 301 Fair Avenue or
Bossier: 2600 Beene Blvd
with Account
Number 4022289..
Michael Tanner has a
lengthy record with the sheriff’s office. The departments in Monroe and
West Monroe had dealings with him many times.
He has been arrested more than ten times. His arrests
include anything from drug possession to simple assault.
Sept. 19, 2001 - Careless
operation of a vehicle, May 30, 2002 – Speeding, June 19, 2002- Drug
possession, June 21, 2002 - Careless operation of a vehicle, Dec. 12,
2002 - Illegal deer hunting, discharge of firearms, Oct. 17, 2003 -
Following too closely, Jan. 14, 2004 - Reckless operation of a vehicle,
June 23, 2004 - Drug possession, June 16, 2005 - Speeding, July 12,
2006 - Obstructing the view of the driver, June 15, 2006 - Expired
license plate, Nov. 8, 2006 - Failure to register, Nov. 29, 2006 -
Driving while intoxicated, Feb. 13, 2008 - Criminal trespassing, Nov.
10, 2008 - Driving without proper equipment on vehicle, Nov. 13, 2008 -
Illegal passing, June 14, 2009 - Disturbing the peace, Nov. 23, 2009 -
Stop sign and yield sign, and Dec. 21, 2009 - Domestic abuse battery.
In December of 2009 Tanner was
arrested for domestic abuse against his girlfriend. She alleged he
grabbed her throat and threatened to hit her. His court date on the
domestic abuse battery charge was scheduled for March 30, 2010.
In 2006, he was arrested
for another domestic abuse charge against another girlfriend.
In June of 2009 Ouachita Parish deputies
picked Tanner up for aggravated assault with a knife, against his
father. The two had an argument ending with Tanner pulling a knife on
his father.
After initially entering a
plea of innocent and failing to appear at one of the court dates, Tanner
pleaded guilty to the charge. He paid a fine and courts costs totaling
$296.

Ret.
Officer Claude "Hal" Rawlinson
February 21, 2010 - Tulsa, Oklahoma, - Age 75
Rawlinson, who retired from the Tulsa Police Department
as a sergeant in 1981. He died February 21, 2010, at the age of 75.
In the 1960s, his first K9 partner, “Doc”. patrolled
together as part of the Tulsa Police Department's new K-9 unit.
Rawlinson, launched the unit with another officer in 1962. He served in
the Marines during the Korean War. Rawlinson began his career with the
Tulsa Police Department in 1961. He received K-9 training in Kansas
City, Mo., the next year Rawlinson worked with Doc for years until the
dog was diagnosed with brain cancer. In 1966, while Rawlinson was off
duty, he "missed death by the skin of his thumb," He was working at a
laundry he owned when he heard a traffic accident outside. He went out
and saw a man fleeing into a nearby gas station. Rawlinson and an
on-duty deputy sheriff followed him into the station's restroom, where
the man shoved a German Luger into Rawlinson's stomach. As the man tried
to pull the trigger, the web of skin between Rawlinson's thumb and index
finger prevented the gun's hammer from firing. He was named Officer of
the Month for his bravery. After 20 years of service, Rawlinson retired
from the Police Department at age 46 as a sergeant. His wife, Joyce Eudy
, died in 1991. He is survived by three daughters, Rise Bennett, Dana
Hardy, and Aubrey Hill; two sons, Randy Rawlinson and Doug Rawlinson.
Officer Charlie Dallas
January 18, 2010 - Lakeland, Florida, - Age 56


Officer Charlie Dallas, 56, a twenty year
veteran of the Lakeland Police Department died on 1/18/10 in a
two-vehicle collision at 4:20 p.m. on U.S. 27 and Jackson Street, just
south of Lake Wales after his SUV Ford Explorer overturned and was
declared dead at the scene. According to the Florida Highway Patrol the
accident happened when Federico Vasquez, 23, of Sebring was driving a
2006 Pontiac G6 south on U.S. 27 and swerved left to avoid hitting a
1989 Ford station wagon, driven by Sharon Kolbinskie, 54, of Lake Wales,
who was crossing the road at Jackson Street. Vasquez crossed the median
and into Dallas' path. The left side of Vasquez's car struck the left
side of Dallas' 2008 Ford Explorer and Dallas lost control of the SUV
and it rolled over, throwing him out. Vasquez and his passenger, Katie
Boyette, were not injured. Polk County emergency workers called for a
helicopter, but by the time it arrived, Dallas had died. Dallas, at the
time was working an off-duty detail for Lakeland Regional Medical Center
and was not wearing a seat belt. Dallas' passenger, Karyn Spencer, 33,
of Lakeland was taken to Lake Wales Regional Medical Center for unknown
injuries. Spencer was a Lakeland Regional Medical Center employee
accompanying Dallas on a patient transfer. The two were on their way
back to Lakeland in the Lakeland Regional Medical Center vehicle. The
others involved in the crash were wearing seat belts. Charges in the
crash are pending.
Officer Charlie Dallas, had been named the department's Officer of the
Year in 1996 and 2000. He was a canine handler for nineteen years and
handled 3 dogs in his career and even kept
his last dog, Dinx, after he retired.
Officer Dallas and his K9 Dynx won
top 4-man team honors in the
USPCA Region One trials held in Pensacola in 2008 which made it the
third year in a row the Lakeland Police Department K-9 Unit claimed the
top 4-man team award. Others that comprised the team were Officer Ted
Sealey (K-9 Bodo), Officer Jeff Barrett (K-9 Beno), and Officer Rob
Manrow (K-9 Bask). The team competed against approximately 50 other
teams to win the award.
Officer Dallas
and K9 Dynx came in 6th
in the
top 10 individual standings
that year.
Dallas received the department's Medal of Valor for his actions while
catching two murder suspects in 1999. He also received an award after a
double murder in 2008 in which police tracked down the shooting
suspect, who was pointing a short-barrel shotgun to his head and
threatening to kill himself. Dallas persuaded the suspect to put down
the gun and the man was taken into custody. Officer Dallas had planned
to retire in a couple of months He is survived by his wife
Elaine and their sons Dustin and Justin.
The Dallas family is asking that in lieu
of flowers, donations be made to the K-9 unit of Lakeland Police
Department.

Officer Michael McLaughlin
January 10, 2010 - Foster City, California - Age 48
Officer McLaughlin passed away
of natural causes unexpectedly at his home while sleeping on January 10, 2010. Officer McLaughlin was
a 21-year veteran of the Foster City
Police Department.
Mike was a well respected member of the
Department and well known throughout the State for his experience and
expertise with police service dogs. Officer McLaughlin joined the Foster
City Police Department in 1989 after serving five years in the United
States Army. He graduated as the “Top Student” from the San Francisco
Police Department Academy in May, 1989. During his career, Mike
received numerous commendations and accolades from the public. In April
2006, Mike was credited with saving the life of a 25 year-old man by
administering CPR. In March 2008, he was one of three officers who
rescued an intoxicated driver who had driven her car into the Foster
City lagoon. This life saving action was recognized in 2009 by the
Peninsula Council of Lions Clubs, when Officer McLaughlin received their
Heroism Award. Officer McLaughlin served as a canine officer for 16
years, starting in 1993 and had five different service dogs during his
career. He competed locally and internationally with his canine
partners and regularly took high honors during annual canine trials held
in the local area. McLaughlin's
passion for dogs sent him to Europe several times, landed him on the
cable TV program "MythBusters". Around 1993 he started working closely
with Witmer-Tyson Imports in Menlo Park, a kennel and import business
that provides police dogs and training to 40 law enforcement agencies in
the Bay Area. McLaughlin
helped train dogs and officers, but he also spent a lot of his spare
time at the company's headquarters. In 2007, he also ended up on camera,
when an episode of "MythBusters" was staged at the Witmer-Tyson Kennels.
During his appearance, McLaughlin brought out a fierce German shepherd
named Eewan, who was used to test whether it is possible to effectively
distract a guard dog. Over the 16 years he was involved with the kennel,
McLaughlin took part in the training of nearly 250 dogs and their
handlers. He also got heavily involved in the Menlo Park Schutzhund
Club. McLaughlin did well in trials and ended up on a U.S. team that
competed in an international police dog competition in Germany in 1998
and also competed in Austria.
McLaughlin was known to demanded a lot out of his trainees in the name
of quality and safety.
He was a well respected canine handler in the
community and trained and worked with police canine handler teams
from around northern California. Mike was well known locally for his
community presentations with his various service dogs. He taught at the
Citizens Police Academy and participated in canine demonstrations at
Foster City community events, schools, youth groups and was a regular
invitee to public canine presentations in several other local
communities. Mike's son,
Michael Jr. is picking up
where his father left off and is a trainer at the Witmer-Tyson Kennels.
Mike is survived by his wife Kathy, sons Mike Jr. and
Chris, and daughter Kim age 14. The Foster City Police Officers’ Association
has established the McLaughlin Family Trust at Merrill Lynch. Donations
can be made by calling 925-945-4882.

Cpl.
James Szuba
January 9, 2010 - Mishawaka, Indiana - Age 42
Mishawaka
Police Cpl. James Szuba, 42, and his K-9 partner, Ricky, were killed
in a traffic accident on 1/9/10 while on duty at approximately 9:20
p.m. Cpl. Szuba and the 8 year old K-9 unit dog Ricky were both
pronounced dead on the scene. The accident occurred on Byrkit Street
just south of McKinley Avenue. Captain Tim Spencer was in an
unmarked car and saw an SUV going 51 in a 30 zone on Fir Road. He
turned his lights and sirens on to pull him over. He reported the
suspect took off. After a high-speed chase, the suspect hit a fire
hydrant but kept going. Spencer then called for backup. Szuba was
providing backup for Spencer when the suspect crossed the
intersection at the same time as Szuba. The suspect had swerved around a
vehicle parked at the stoplight at McKinley Highway when he hit the
oncoming squad car of Corporal Szuba and Ricky. The driver of that vehicle, Shawn
Devine, 31, of Mishawaka, was taken to a local hospital for
treatment of his injuries. When Officer John Minier with the Humane
Society arrived on the scene K9 "Ricky" was taking his last breath. Szuba joined the Mishawaka Police
Department on Feb. 26, 2002. Cpl. Szuba was a ILEA firearms
instructor and the armor for the Mishawaka Police Department and
served eight years with them. K9
"Ricky" was cremated on 1/11/10. and was next to Cpl Szuba
during the service and later was decided by the family to keep K9
Ricky's ashes at their home. Thousands attended their service and
150
K9 officers with their K9 partners also attended the service.
Pipes & Drums,
bagpipe group, along with a color guard and a riderless horse
accompanied the hearse into the cemetery as the K-9 officers all
saluted. All of the officers in attendance wore upside down white
carnations, each with a red dot. The white was to symbolize purity
and service and the red dot symbolized the blood Szuba and K9 Ricky shed.
At the end of the
cemetery service, all officers placed their white carnations, on the cremains of Ricky and the casket of
Cpl. Szuba.
Szuba
is survived by a wife,
Debbie, and
two children, Joshua James Szuba , who turned 22 two days after his fathers
death, and Stephanie Elizabeth Szuba, who is 18.
Memorial contributions can be made to
two funds, the Cpl. Jim Szuba/Canine Ricky Canine Fund, or the
Heroes Section Southlawn Cemetery Fund. The address to send
contributions to either fund is the same: Policeman's Federal Credit
Union, 1130 S. Main St., South Bend, IN 46601.
Shawn Devine has been in the
police system many times. Devine was first convicted in 1997 when he was
18 years old for violating his learner's permit and disregarding a stop
sign. In the course of 13 years, Devine was arrested for six more
driving offenses, five of which ended in convictions and four of which
were related to alcohol. In a 2002 incident in Mishawaka, Devine smashed
into a woman's parked car near the 200 block of East Stanley and drove
off. Mishawaka police caught up with the man at a 7-Eleven store where
Devine failed multiple roadside sobriety tests and officers also found
four unopened cans of "Icehouse" lying on the floorboard of Devine's
car. Devine pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated in the case, in
exchange for two other counts being dismissed. He was given one year of
probation, ordered to pay restitution and ordered to undergo a substance
abuse program, which he successfully completed. Devine also had drunken
driving convictions in 2005 and 2006 and a driving-while-suspended
infraction in 2007. In the 2006 case, Devine was charged with two Class
C misdemeanors along with two Class D felonies for operating a motor
vehicle while intoxicated after a prior conviction and operation of a
vehicle with more than 0.08 percent alcohol concentration after a prior
conviction. As part of a plea agreement, Devine pleaded guilty to the
first D felony count and the three other counts were dismissed. St.
Joseph Superior Judge Jerome Frese then sentenced Devine to a one-year
suspended sentence and one year of probation. Devine also was ordered to
serve three 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. shifts at the county jail. The 2006 case
was the only infraction considered as a felony in Devine's driving
history. Police documents from Devine's 2006 arrest say Devine has never
had a valid Indiana license and dispatch data showed repeated
suspensions and prior convictions on only an expired ID card.
On July 20, 2009, in Michigan, a drug informant notified
Niles City Police Department he was arrested for the delivery of
marijuana at the Wal-Mart,
2107 S. 11th St. When a female
driver of the silver SUV in which Devine and another male were riding
pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot about 7:30 p.m. on July 20, 2009,
three Niles city police officers (two undercover) were waiting for them. After Devine
and the woman went inside the store and returned five minutes later with
no shopping bags in their hands, they got into the SUV. Police made a
traffic stop on the vehicle and asked, in separate interviews, why the
three were at the Wal-Mart, according to police. "All three gave
conflicting information as to why they were there," said court records.
Police asked the woman driver and Devine if they could search the
vehicle and they said yes, but they added that the vehicle didn't belong
to them. In a twist of irony, a police dog with a Niles officer
discovered marijuana in the back of Devine's vehicle. Police found 10
1-pound bags of marijuana in a camouflage bag. When the three were
arrested both Devine and his male friend blamed the other for why they
had marijuana in the SUV, court records revealed. Devine was sentenced
on Oct. 19 after a plea agreement to two days in jail with credit for
two days served. He also was placed on probation for 18 months with
several conditions.
He was convicted in October and placed on probation, but
could face four years for violation of probation.
According to the probation
terms, Devine was prohibited from drinking and from being away from his
Mishawaka house between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., according to
Berrien County Drug Court records. Devine could break his curfew but his
probation officer needed to be advised. Devine also had to undergo
random alcohol and drug testing and his probation terms for alcohol was
zero tolerance.
For this accident with Cpl Szuba, Devine faces five
charges including: operating while intoxicated and causing the death of
another person, two counts of operating with a controlled substance and
causing death to another person, resisting law enforcement and a
habitual substance offender. Devine's blood alcohol level was
at .239 percent at time of the crash,
nearly three
times the legal limit.
The legal limit is .08. Devine
faces up to 31 years in prison. On
1/14/10 Devine was transferred
from the hospital
to the St. Joseph County jail. On 1/15/10, just after a few hours after
the service started for Cpl. Szuba, Devine appeared in court for the
first time in a wheelchair and was rolled in by deputies into a jail
room to be arraigned before a judge via video conference. A
preliminary plea of not guilty was entered for Devine. Devine’s
next court date will be on 1/21/10 in front of St. Joseph Superior Court
Judge Jane Woodward Miller and has a $100,000 bond.
A
judge set Devine’s trial date for May 10, 2010. His plea deadline date
is March 30, 2010 and his record date is set for April 27, 2010.

Sgt. Brett Meredith
January 2, 2010 - New South Wales,
Australia - Age 39
Sergeant Meredith, 39,
was in a night club on January 1, 2010, while off duty in
Katherine and tried to stop a fight on New Years Day. Sergeant
Meredith was punched once in the head
after which he fell hitting his head
hard on the ground
and was knocked unconscious and suffered severe head injuries. He
never regained consciousness.
He was at Club 23 with friends, including another off-duty officer,
Kevin Carr, and when a fight broke out and the pair intervened. Two
men are in custody over the incident, in which Constable Carr
received minor injuries. Sergeant Meredith’s wife Amee, a decorated
police officer, was on duty near by and rushed to her husband's side
as he was taken to Katherine
hospital and placed in an induced coma, and was then medi-vacced at
about 7.45am on New Year's Day to
Royal Darwin Hospital where he underwent surgery for a fractured
skull and swelling to the brain. At 5:00 p.m. the following day a decision was made to
take him off life support when
Doctors told Amee Meredith that Brett had a 1 per cent chance of
survival and the best scenario for him was that he would not be
aware of his surroundings. Sergeant Meredith then passed away at
5:08 p.m.
The
security-camera footage based on what was seen shows they were not
prepared for the attack and there is no way Sergeant Meredith was an
instigator.
Sergeant Meredith joined the NSW police in 1990, working in the
State Protection Group Dog Unit. He was awarded the NSW Police Medal
in 2004 and the National Police Medal in 2006.
In 2000, he was given a citation for
his role in the arrest of a violent offender and in 2006 was given a
certificate of merit for his part in arresting armed offenders
during a robbery. In 2005 he became a dog handler and specialised in
explosives' detection.
In late 2007, the couple sold their house at Bargo, in the NSW
southern highlands and moved to the Territory, seeking a safer home
for their children, Samuel, 6, Jordy, 4, and Abbey, 2.
Sgt Meredith is also father to Brad,
9, and Lily, 7, from a previous marriage.
Over one thousand attended his
service and a private ceremony was held for his cremation.
A slow-moving riderless horse
marked the beginning of the funeral for Brett Meredith.
The
horse bore a saddle with a pair of empty boots reversed in the
stirrups, representing a fallen leader looking back on his troops
for the last time, as it made its way to the Cathedral. A trust fund has been set up to
help the family of fallen policeman Brett Meredith.
Deposits can be made electronically to: NT Police Association Inc.
ATF Brett Meredith, BSB: 805-005, Account No: 5116830. People in NT
and SA can also make donations at any branch of the Police Credit
Union. For more information or if problems are faced, contact Julie
Colbert at the association's office on (08) 8981 8840.
Both Michael Simon Martyn and Aaron James Vale have been
both charged in the incident that happened on New Years Day. Michael
Simon Martyn, 38,
a builder's laborer, has been charged with one count of manslaughter over
the officer's death and magistrate
Melanie Little remanded Mr Martyn in custody until January 13.
Aaron James Vale, 28,
appeared in the Darwin Magistrates Court charged with assault on a
police officer and causing harm, for assaulting Const Carr.
He's
accused of punching Const Carr as he tried to assist his unconscious
friend.
Magistrate Daynor Trigg refused bail for
Vale and adjourned the matter until January 14. 2010.
When
Michael Simon Martyn appeared in
the Darwin
Magistrates Court
court on 1/13/10 the court heard how he
extensive
criminal history spanning the NT, NSW and South Australia. Martyn's
lawyer, Glen Dooley, told the court. it was possible a self-defence case
would be raised. He told the court the incident had started when Martyn
brushed past Sgt Meredith at Club 23. Mr Dooley said the security guards
who removed Martyn from the scene gave statements claiming that Martyn
shook their hands and apologised for his behaviour as he left the club
to go home. He was later arrested by police. Constable Kevin Carr, who
was celebrating New Year's Eve with Sgt Meredith, described Sgt Meredith
as intoxicated but not "staggering drunk". Mr Dooley asked that his
client be granted bail to reside with his young family in Adelaide. Sgt
O'Neill said SA police did not have the power to arrest Martyn if he
breached the conditions of his bail agreement. He said granting Martyn
bail to reside in NT would also pose problems, due to concerns he may
try to interfere with witnesses. Previously convicted of multiple
charges relating to assaulting police, aggravated assault and the
deprivation of liberty, the court heard police in NSW describe Martyn as
a "standover man" who intimidated witnesses. Magistrate Sue Oliver
ordered a bail assessment report and adjourned the matter until January
19, 2010. On January 19, 2010
Martyn was granted bail on
his birthday on the condition he did not associate with anyone on a list of hundreds of
potential witnesses. He will have to report to police every day, is not
allowed to buy or consume alcohol, is not allowed to leave the Darwin
area, and has a curfew between 8pm and 6am. Martyn will appear before
the court again on February 9, 2010. At his February 9, 2010 court
appearance his restrictions were made less. Before he had to report to
the police on a daily basis but now only has to report into police on
Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and is allowed to go fishing. His
Next court appearance is February 19, 2010.
On 1/14/10
Aaron James
Vale, 28, appeared in the Darwin Magistrates Court and
will have to live at
his grandmother's house and not drink alcohol or go to any
licensed venues. Mr Vale's mother Kerry Vale had to put down a $1,000
cash security for Mr. Vale's release.
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