DAYTON, Ohio — The tragic death of a police K-9 is leading to an uplifting fund drive involving the community and the Dayton police union.
The Dayton Police Department’s newest K-9 officer Kimbo passed away of an unexpected medical problem just days ago.
News Center 7′s Mike Campbell talked with officials about a project to replace the fallen K-9 officer that is bringing people together.
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K-9 Kimbo was one of a handful of police dogs on the force. His untimely death would have left the department one dog short; however, the FOP is stepping in to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Two months ago, Kimbo was with his department handler, Officer C. Cagle. The department put out a tweet congratulating Kimbo and K-9 Corey for completing their state training certification in narcotics and patrol work.
Kimbo had been on the job for a few weeks when the tragedy struck. A Dayton Fraternal Order of Police Facebook post reported on December 21, 2020 that Kimbo began having extreme multiple cluster seizures, which required emergency care. Neurologists and veterinarians determined that it was a rare aggressive form of seizures that was unable to be controlled or managed.
The Dayton police union, through FOP Lodge 44 decided not to wait for another year of budget battles to try and replace Kimbo. They launched a fundraising drive to pay for a new dog immediately.
Union leaders told News Center 7, “It’s a way to give back and keep the same level of protection for our community.”
The fund drive blasted through their original goal to pay for the purchase and training of a new K-9. The new goal will now also include money for protective bullet-resistant vests for the new dog and several others already on the force.