Puppy K9 Named In Honor Of Former Police Officer, Firefighter

BOWIE, MD — The newest member of the Bowie Police Department has won its way into everyone's hearts with big brown eyes and a wiggly little tail.

Christmas Eve Day, the 4-month-old bloodhound from Kentucky met the family of its namesake in a small ceremony at City Hall. The K9 in training has been named Sulli in honor of former PFC James Lees Sullivan, also fondly known as Sully. Sullivan was a firefighter with the Prince George’s County Fire Department for more than 20 years, then joined the Bowie Police Department where he served until he passed away in 2021.

“PFC Sullivan was a highly respected member of our department, committed to serving the county and community for many years. We felt this was a meaningful way to honor his memory,” said Bowie Police Chief Dwayne A. Preston during the ceremony.

“Today was a very special day for our family,” Sullivan’s daughter, Kelli, said at the ceremony. “We are very excited to know that our dad’s legacy, my dad’s legacy will live on through the Bowie Police Department. Hopefully it will lead to some great stories and really happy citizens. It is exciting to know my dad’s legacy will live on at the police department and the city of Bowie as a whole, so we are very excited and honored coming up on the holidays. It is a very emotional time for us, but we are overjoyed this has come at such a great time for us."

Kathie Sullivan, the late officer’s wife, added that the pup's name in honor of her husband has made her “very proud.”

“It is a honor to have a young puppy and she will be trained well and my family will appreciate the puppy and we love it as one of our own pets now,” she told DC News Now.