Photo of K-9 Officer Credo, courtesy of the Long Beach Police Department.
The tragic accidental death of LBPD K-9 Officer Credo (see full story here) has elicited waves of sympathy from as far away as Holland and also brought up concerns over providing body armor for police dogs.
On June 28, Credo, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, was struggling with a knife-wielding suspect who, according to a press release, was armed with a knife and aggressively charging the human police officers. One of the bullets intended for the suspect hit Credo, who later died of his wound despite efforts by veterinarians at the Signal Hill Pet Hospital. The suspect was also hit and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Around 30 officers and several spectators saluted as Credo’s wrapped body, draped in an American flag, was escorted by police from the veterinary and was given an impromptu ceremony. Credo’s handler, LBPD Officer Mike Parcell, was overcome by grief over the loss of his partner.
“The relationship that these people build with their canine partners is unbelievable,” said Dana Treitler, who co-owns the pet-sitting service Happy Tails to You with her life partner, Suzane Pyburn. Treitler previously served in the military in the Air Force Canine Division and said that she has lived the bond between dog and human; she fully understands their importance as well as the dangers they face daily in the line of duty. Treitler and Pyburn were concerned that Credo hadn’t been wearing protective gear and set out to remedy the situation by setting up a GoFundMe page to help purchase state-of-the-art vests for Long Beach’s canine best.
“The reaction from Mike Parcel was heart-wrenching” Treitler said. “A fireman puts on his uniform in preparation of a fire response— the human counterpart to our K-9 officers who each day also put on their protective gear in preparation for duty. The K-9s deserve the same. So I called Suzanne and said, we gotta do this.”
The GoFundMe page has so far amassed nearly $4,500 to add to the contributions that have been coming in from other groups and individuals to the Long Beach K-9 Officers Association (LBK-9OA), a community-based nonprofit organization that “does what the City can’t,” as Association President Steve Ditmars said.
Initially, Treitler and Pyburn wanted to purchase the vests themselves. They had identified an organization that provides custom-fitted military-grade Kevlar gear that balances flexibility and lightweightedness with protection and offer the dogs protection against the type of wound that caused Credo’s death, Treitler said. However, if and when the gear is purchased, the LBPD will make the final decision. Therefore, Happy Tails to You will submit all funds collected by the fund-raising page to the LBK-9OA.
Example of a protective vest for K-9. This one is manufactured by BulletBlocker and is not necessarily being considered by the LBPD.
The LBK-9OA comprises volunteers who fundraise for the K-9 officers’ needs. Ditmars said that they’ll purchase the protective gear for the K-9 officers, should the department decide they want it.
“Obviously, there’s been a lot of interest in the vests,” Ditmars said. “People want to help, and I certainly don’t want to discourage people or hurt their feelings, so we would ask that all donations be made to the K-9 Association. It’ll be fine to specify it for the vests.”
Ditmars is a retired K-9 handler and sergeant who signed up for volunteerism with the LBK-9OA after he left the department. “This is a time for me to give back,” he said. “Long Beach is a dog-lovers’ city, and tragedies like this reinforce why I was a canine officer. So I’m going to be really busy for a while, but it’s why I signed up to do this—and I enjoy being around the dogs.”
The LBK-9OA also assists with the purchase of the highly trained K-9 officers, which can run in the thousands of dollars. Ditmars said that a new officer will indeed be needed now that Credo is gone.
“I hope we can help with the underfunding,” Treitler said.
Ditmars agreed with Treitler’s assessment of the vests.
“They do make better ones now, but they’re upward of $3,500 per dog,” he said. “The officers probably have something in mind that’s specific, so instead of buying the product, we’ll buy it for them. It will have to fit well so that you have less of an issue with snagging, and be as lightweight as possible, with a level of protection up to a certain bullet. After that, it’s no longer guaranteed. The best compromise would be between weight and ballistic protection. If we’re going to buy equipment for the dogs, we’re going to buy the best product we can afford, and we’ll figure out a way to afford it. I want them to be as safe and good as possible, because I don’t want to see this happen again.”
Cmdr. Don Wood of the LBPD Field Support Division, who heads the Service Dog Unit, said that putting the vests on the dogs is up to the nature of the mission and that the dogs are deployed only at the handlers’ discretion. The vests that the department presently has, he said, offer as many problems as benefits.
“They’re looser on a dog than the human equivalent,” he said. “When dogs have been deployed under a house or a porch, there have been instances when the vests were caught on a hook or something else. The vest could also be grabbed onto by the suspect. And because it was around 95 degrees outside [the day of Credo’s death], the dog may have overheated and it probably wouldn’t have been effective. The ballistic vest would not have stopped a knife, either. When someone has an edged weapon, it could cut right through it.”
Wood said that new models of gear are continually being developed and that the department is looking at other options to see if there is something better for use in tactical operations.
“Cost is a factor, as is the size of the dog being fitted,” he said.
Credo’s death has been emotional for the entire LPBD, as well as civilian animal lovers and advocates.
“Everyone at the animal hospital was shaken and emotional because of this,” said Wood, who is an animal lover himself and owns two St. Bernards rescued from the Sunny Saints rescue in Bellflower. “It was very difficult for me, seeing Officer Parcells—he spent more time with Credo as his own family. It’s a loss when they pass away, but to see this happen—it was so sudden. But Credo’s actions definitely saved the life of at least one if not two police officers. There’s no doubt in my mind that the officers would have been injured or killed.”
People who mourn the death of Credo and other K-9 used in police work, military combat and other potentially dangerous areas may question why dogs would be subjected to work in which they could be injured or lose their lives. Ditmars said that he understands the question and where it comes from.
“The dogs do some things better than we do,” he said. “They use the nose to find things we’d never find—drugs, lost people—and they help get the bad guys off the street. But it’s really hard to explain or justify it. You don’t go out there with the idea that your dog is going to get hurt. I don’t really have a great answer for that.”
Ditmars’ K-9 partner, Osko, had been shot in the face during a SWAT takedown and required seven surgeries and six months of recovery before he returned to work.
“He hated staying home,” Ditmars said. “That’s the funny thing about it—they love the work! The bond between a handler and a dog—pet lovers get it, but it’s more than that. You go out there together, as a team. And so this [Credo’s death] is personal for me.”
Ditmars thanked the community for their support and requested that anyone wishing to donate to the LBK-9OA visit this page and click the donation button at the bottom.
The public is also invited to attend Credo’s memorial service, which takes place Wednesday, July 20 at 1:00PM at the LBPOA Park, located at 7390 East Carson Street at the Long Beach Towne Center behind Lowe’s hardware store. People are asked not to bring their own dogs to the service.
“Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe, we are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made.”
~ Roger Caras, wildlife photographer and animal advocate