Police Canine Pasco remembered Police Canine Pasco remembered (October 14, 2005)

Members of the Pleasanton Police Department, city council and the community gathered recently for a memorial in honor of Police Canine Pasco who died during a training accident in July.

"Pasco was a partner, family member and friend," said Officer Tim Martens, Pasco's partner, holding back tears as he addressed the group of nearly 50 people in the city council chambers Sept. 28. "Pasco was a very fast learner and had a natural aptitude for the work."

Police Chief Tim Neal began the memorial by speaking of Martens' love of working with canine officers, saying whenever he thinks of Martens, he thinks of him as half of a canine team.

"Tim wasn't sure if he wanted to have a memorial service, but the loss of Pasco hurt us and he decided he wanted to hold the memorial," Neal said. In front of the podium, a cardboard cutout of Pasco stood while the two addressed the audience.

Pasco is the first canine officer to die in the line of duty since the canine program started in 1974. In that same time, there have been three human officers who have been shot in the line of duty, Neal said, pointing to how safe and successful the canine program has been. Since the program started there have been 13 canine/handler teams.

Currently, the police department has two police dogs, Kai and Robby. Robby is a bomb dog, meaning he is deployed to investigate bomb threats, and Kai is trained in narcotics detection. The police department has chosen a new dog to fill Pasco's spot, a Dutch Shepard named Camo. Camo, who will be trained in narcotics detection, is paired with Martens and is his third canine partner. His first partner, Duke, died of an intestinal disease.

"Being a canine handler is what I love to do," Martens said. "When the accident happened, I thought my canine career was over. I'd already had two dogs; they weren't going to give me another shot. But Chief Neal stepped up and gave me another chance."

Neal added, "Camo is a lucky dog to have you (Martens)."

The ceremony concluded with Neal giving Martens a plaque to honor Pasco.

"The tragic death of Pasco was a shocking blow to me and my family," Martens said. "But it was made bearable by support from my family, friends, co-workers and the community." -Rebecca Guyon

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