SAN ANGELO, TX — The San Angelo Police Department has retired a "good ole boy." In a release, the San Angelo Police Department announced the retirement of K-9 Vader.
In 2015, Police K9 Vader began his career in the K9 unit of the San Angelo Police Department. From 2015 to March 14th, 2023, Police K9 Vader served our community with his tracking, drug detection, and handler protection skills. During his career, Police K9 Vader had two handlers Sgt. Cimino and Officer Tumlinson.
The life of a police K9 revolves around constant training. During his career, Police K9 Vader accumulated more than 3000 hours of training. Those thousands of hours were physically demanding of the K9 and the handler.
SAPD's K-9 Vader (Contributed: San Angelo Police Department Facebook)
The ultimate reward for a police K9 is the deployment and use of its skills. Police K9 Vader loved pleasing his handlers and protecting his fellow officers.
Police K9s have a profound impact on the communities they serve. Police K9 Vader has significantly affected the drug trade and reduced the number of dangerous drugs in our community.
Throughout his career, Police K9 Vader helped seize:
•27175 grams or 60 pounds of Marijuana
•6369 grams or 14 pounds of Methamphetamine
•233 grams of Cocaine
•164 grams of Heroin
A police K9’s effectiveness is not based solely on the amount of drugs it helps to seize. The apprehension of dangerous criminals and the protection they provide to their handlers and fellow officers is critical to reducing crime and protecting the public.
During his career, Police K9 Vader helped to arrest 285 individuals involved in numerous crimes. Many of those individuals seriously threatened our community and the officers who pursued them. Police K9 Vader never hesitated to serve our community, and his actions undoubtedly saved the lives of police officers, community members, and even a few suspects.
Beyond the enforcement actions that Police K9 Vader has accomplished during his career, he interacted with hundreds, if not thousands, of children and adults during police K9 demonstrations throughout our community.
The unwavering loyalty a police K9 shows to their handlers creates an unbreakable bond. That is why the San Angelo Police Department has announced that Police K9 Vader will remain in the care of his handler Officer Tumlinson for the remainder of his life.
The San Angelo Police Department and our community thank Police K9 Vader for his incredible service. We all hope he will enjoy being a regular dog with a family that will care for him for the rest of his life.
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