K-9 Crime Fighters Now Have Own Memorial; Statue Unveiled Wednesday

TEMPLE TERRACE, FL — The parking lot of the Temple Terrace City Hall, 11250 N. 56th St., is now the site of Tampa Bay's regional Law Enforcement K-9 Memorial honoring four legged crime fighters who have reached their end of watch.

The monument was dedicated Wednesday morning in a ceremony that included Temple Terrace City Manager Steve Spina; Temple Terrace Mayor Andy Ross; who is a former K-9 handler with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Temple Terrace Police Department Chief Ken Albano; and Travis Wright, president of the Westside Chapter of the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club and a current K-9 handler with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

The Nam Knights raised approximately $30,000 over the course of several years to purchase the materials for the memorial, which includes a life-size bronze statue of a German shepherd that serves as the centerpiece for the memorial.

The monument is surrounded by bricks engraved with the names of 36 law enforcement K-9s. Gold stars designate those dogs that died in the line of duty. More bricks will be added as additional names are collected.

See related stories:

• K-9 Memorial To Be Unveiled By Nam Knights, City Of Temple Terrace
• Retired K-9 Officers To Be Supported Under New Florida Law

Many of the Nam Nights members who were involved in the effort came to city hall for the dedication along with representatives from area law enforcement agencies including the Tampa Police Department Hillsborough County sheriff's office, Clearwater Police Department, Plant City Police Department, St. Petersburg Police Department and the Tampa Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as Temple Terrace City Council members and staff, Temple Terrace police officers and other guests.

"The Temple Terrace Police Department is honored to serve as the host agency for this very important and long overdue tribute to our K-9 partners," said Albano. "This regional K-9 memorial will serve as a constant reminder to all who have the opportunity to see it of the unfailing loyalty, commitment and fearless dedication to duty that is the hallmark of all law enforcement K-9s' service to their communities."

"The Westside Chapter of the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club has a long history of providing assistance to military veterans and law enforcement in the Bay area," said Wright. "Each time we take on a project, we hope to make a difference and a positive impact in the community. This memorial will be an important place for people to come and pay respect to all law enforcement K-9s."

Nearly every law enforcement agency in Tampa Bay, including national, state, county and municipal agencies as well as Tampa International Airport, uses K-9s to perform a variety of duties including bomb and drug detection, searching for criminals on the run, search and rescue missions for missing people, mass disaster rescues and as cadaver-sniffing dogs during a mass casualty event.

Most recently, law enforcement agencies including the Hillsborough and Pasco County sheriff's offices have recruited K-9s to comfort and calm people with mental health issues.
K9s United said these furry K-9 crime fighters have one of the most dangerous jobs in law enforcement. They are often called on to enter buildings in which gunmen are staging standoffs with law enforcement and track down armed and dangerous fugitives. Equally dangerous, the dogs are sent into buildings to search out bombs and other explosive devices and into small, precarious openings in damaged homes and businesses that have been flooded or blown down following hurricanes to find people who are trapped.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, in 2021, 21 K-9s were killed in the line of duty from gunfire, assaults, car crashes, falls, heart attacks, training accidents and heat stroke with heat stroke topping the list (six K-9s), followed by gunfire (five K-9s).

At the urging of K-9 handlers and K9s United, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law this month that establishes the Care for Retired Police Dogs program, to provide medical care for retired K-9s, most of which spend their retirement years at the homes of their former handlers.

K9s United also announced that the Florida Legislature has approved K-9s license plate to raise awareness and critical funds to keep K-9s safe in the field. K9s United is preselling 3,000 K-9 license plates prior to production with $25 from each plate going directly to K9s United to fund the training of officers and provide essential equipment that K-9s and K-9 units, including bullet-proof vests for the dogs, an item that isn't included in the budgets of most law enforcement agencies.

According to Brady's K9 Fund, the K-9 ballistic vests typically cost around $1,000, but customized vests can run up to $3,000.

To learn more about the K-9 license plates or to preorder a plate, click here.