 |
The Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award ~ Previous Award Recipients ~ All Give Some - Some Give All
Click on link below for
2010: Officer Frank Reda & K9 "Czar" of Norwalk Police Department were selected for tracking and apprehending a suspect who was suspected of killing his ex-wife and former mother-in law and had fled through heavy wooded area to try and escape. The team used innovative and self taught rappelling techniques to negotiate a vertical fourteen foot drop from a rock ledge to reach the suspect. After tracking through heavly wooded area, K9 Czar found the suspect and engaged him by biting him in the inner thigh causing enough pain to drop a loaded hand gun he used in the double homicide. K9 Czar then began to extract him from the brush putting distance between the suspect and his weapon allowing officers to handcuff him.
2008: Officer Matthew A. Galante & K-9 "Ike" of New London Police Department were selected for numerous successful tracks and apprehensions in New London and also neighboring towns. The team also located a suicidal person and may have saved the victim from ending his life.
2007: Officer Todd Mona & K9 "Primo" of East Hartford Police Department were selected for many exceptional urban tracks and finds.
2006: Officer Matthew J. Lima & K-9 "Judge" of Milford Police Department were selected for tracking down an escaped suicidal psychiatric patient which resulted in locating the suspect. They also had numerous hard surface tracking cases ranging from 1/2 to 1-1/2 miles in the city over hard surfaces resulting in the capture of individuals that committed burglaries and also tracked an a man who had committed sexual assault on a woman. Some of the tracks were high finds and many of these tracks involved numerous fences, hard surfaces and onlookers but K9 "Judge" stayed focused on the job until completed.
2005: Officer Eric Rocheleau & K-9 "Kora" of West Hartford Police Department were selected for being involved in numerous cases resulting in important captures and seizures of drugs. During a Feb. 2005 car stop, Kora detected 196 bags of heroin hidden in an engine compartment and four days later found 66 more bags on another car stop. In a span of about 5 weeks, Kora assisted in package searches seizing over 55 pounds of marijuana. All of the packages were filled with masking agents. In March, Officer Rocheleau and Kora assisted Avon PD conducting a 3+ mile track for a DUI suspect. In April, Kora tracked and assisted in the apprehension of a stolen car suspect who resisted arrest and fought with officers. During a burglary track in November, a cell phone was located on the track route resulting in the burglar's capture. In July of 2005, a pair of burglars were caught by this K9 team after tracking them from the scene to their location in a local cemetery still in possession of the stolen goods. Kora also assisted in a home invasion capture during a building search. In this case a successful "bark and hold" was done resulting in a capture without suspect injury. This K9 team's most important track involved a mutual aid call for a shooting in Hartford. Both occupants of the car were shot with the passenger killed. The driver led Hartford PD on a high speed chase. He then crashed and injured a family while fleeing. He ran from the scene and was subsequently located. The track involved a difficult city track which included numerous fences, hard surfaces and onlookers. Kora stayed focused even as she tracked within feet of tied up aggressive dogs. This focus paid off as the suspect was found hiding under a porch with 2 gun shot wounds to the chest. These are just a few of this K9 team's successes in 2005 leading to their nomination for the Daniel Wasson Award.
Video
2004: Officer Morales & K-9 “Niko” of New London Police Department were selected for responding on July 2nd 2004, at approximately 2244 hours, to assist Norwich Police Department in locating a male suspect who had just committed a robbery and murdered his victim with a shot gun blast to the chest. K-9 Niko was deployed into an apartment where the suspect was believed to be hiding. K-9 Niko located the male hiding in a completely dark basement. The suspect surrendered to avoid a K-9 apprehension. K-9 Niko was recalled and the suspect later identified as the man responsible for the robbery homicide and was taken into custody without incident. Also during the past year K-9 Niko had many successful tracks and apprehensions along with finding a total of 28.9 grams of crack cocaine for the year 2004.
Video
2003:Officer Morales & K-9 “Niko” of New London Police Department were selected for responding to a robbery in progress by three suspects at approximately 1:00a.m. at a local bar. When they arrived the suspects had run into a wooded area where Niko had tracked the suspects and was shot by one of them with a 9 mm which passed completely through him missing all his vital organs, but still continued tracking them. All three suspects were later apprehended. Niko recovered fully from his wound and faithfully still serves and protects his handler with the New London Police Dept.
K9 "Veko" surrendered without incident. The subject was suspect in the gang related shooting of 12 year old Takira Gaston in Hartford over the July 4th holiday. The suspect has since been charged in that incident.
|
