A furry civil servant retires after a long career serving the people.
Barney, an active duty service dog with the Junction City Police Department, will retire from duty and put his paws up, police announced Thursday. Barney will celebrate his 13th birthday on Oct. 31 and has spent the past 11 years collecting awards from the Heart of America Police Dog Association – including recognition as a detection dog and patrol dog – for his work with the police force.
“While it may be difficult for Barney to adjust to working life, he has certainly earned this retirement,” a JCPD spokesperson said in a written statement. “We want to thank Barney for his tireless service and dedication to making the streets safer for 11 years. Here’s to many treats, naps and relaxing days ahead.”
Barney will spend the rest of his life with Nick Blake, the officer he worked with throughout his career at the JCPD. Barney was responsible for drug sniffing, tracking, search warrants, school sniffing, barricading, chases, public demonstrations and school classroom visits. A JCPD press release states that he was “responsible for taking thousands of pounds of marijuana, hundreds of pounds of cocaine, hundreds of pounds of heroin, hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine, fentanyl and millions of dollars in drug money off the streets.”
“One of our favorite memories is when Barney, as backup dog, spotted a suspect hiding in a field,” the JCPD spokesperson said. “Barney waited on the other side of a tree line while another canine unit began tracking the suspect from his last known location. While he waited, Barney pulled his handler to a nearby thicket where the suspect was found hiding. The suspect was taken into custody without further incident.”
Barney was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 2011 and came to Junction City from Code 2 K-9 Services. Barney’s father, Rocky, was a police dog with the Douglas County (Nebraska) Sheriff’s Office.
The JCPD will hold a retirement party for Barney on September 6th at 2 p.m. at police headquarters.
