Effective Monday, October 18, K9s Legend, Nero and Vax were retired from active duty with the Lovington Police Department. Their retirements were celebrated by the City of Lovington and the police force at a special ceremony on Wednesday, October 20. Lovington Mayor David Trujillo served as the event’s master of ceremonies.
K9 means exactly what it sounds like – canine. The acronym is used by police departments throughout the US, including Lovington’s, to refer to its squad of four-legged officers.
According to Wikipedia, K9 dogs, after intensive training, assist law enforcement officers to search for drugs and/or explosives, find missing persons and/or crime scene evidence and even attack under command individuals targeted by the police.
Dogs have been used in police work since the Middle Ages. The most commonly used breeds are German Shepherds, of which Legend, Nero and Vax are, and Belgian Malinois. Basset Hounds, BloodHounds and Labrador Retrievers are also used, especially for tracking, comments the National Police Dog Foundation at its website.
The work of K9 dogs is pivotal to the success of many police investigations, and the Lovington Police Department considers its K9 officers an integral component of the department.
Like all police officers – and Lovingtonis K9s are considered officers by the city’s department – the day comes when each retires from the force. Age is not always the key factor in precipitating retirement.
According to the Lovington Police Department’s Facebook page, New Mexico’s new law that legalizes marijuana has made it impossible for K9s Legend and Vax “to conduct open-air sniffs in regards to narcotics;” hence, their retirement. Nero, unfortunately, is being forced to retire as a result of “medical issues”.
Retired Chief of Police David Rodriguez spoke at the ceremony honoring the dogs. About them he said, “It’s been awesome having the three dogs…They were very useful to the force.”
“Some people may not know but in the eyes of the law, K9s are considered to be police officers, just like human officers,” said Lovington’s Interim Chief David Miranda when he took the podium. “Over the past five years Nero, Vax and Legend have made an enormous contribution to the public safety of Lovington.” Interim Chief Miranda went on to point out that while working for the department the dogs have found drugs and firearms and the sounds of their barks have deterred suspects from attacking police officers.
At the end of the ceremony, Mayor Trujillo “presented each K-9 and their handler with a plaque and gift basket honoring their service to the citizens of Lovington,” states the department’s Facebook page.
Both Legend and Vax were donated to the Lovington force. Nero was the only animal of the three purchased by the city. Legend and Nero have each served the department for five years. Vax has been with the Lovington police for two years.
In retirement each of the three K9s will enjoy a more relaxed life with its respective handler. Each will be sincerely missed. No one will forget the worthwhile contributions all three have made to the City of Lovington at large and to the police force more specifically.
