He was an astutely trained officer whose keen sense of smell helped sniff out drugs on a perp, but could also brought smiles to the faces of school children. His name was Zak and for the past six and a half years, he was a decorated K9 officer for the Stratford Police department.
Sadly, last Saturday night, the nearly eight year old German Shepard, assigned to human Officer Thomas Clements, was rushed to a local veterinary hospital where he died.
In a statement released by the the police department, "Officer Clements and Zak were an integral part of the department and the community. Zak will be sorely missed. Their dedication, as partners, to the town and the law enforcement community was exemplary and a credit to the Stratford Police Department."
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Zak's abilities in the field were what made him special, said police. He assisted many departments in the area tracking suspects, searching for missing persons. He was especially adept at drug detection, once sniffing out more than 300lbs of marijuana. He also received two awards from the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association.
As with all fallen officers, there is a memorial service being planned.
The department is now down to one K9. Anyone wishing to make a donation in Zak's honor to offset the cost of obtaining another police dog can do so by sending a check to the Stratford police department.
