The Frankfort Police Department announces the retirement of K9 Otto due to health reasons. K9 Otto, a German Shepard, joined the police department in April 2015 and will officially retire on Thursday, November 21, at 7:30 PM during a public ceremony at the Frankfort Police Department, located at 201 W Washington Street.
According to Chief Troy Bacon, “Over the past few months, Otto’s health has deteriorated to a point where we made the difficult decision to retire him from the department. Otto served the community and department valiantly and was responsible for numerous drug seizures and drug-related arrests. We are thankful for his service and will miss our 4-legged friend”.
During K9 Otto’s time with the department, he was responsible for 117 drug-related arrests and located impressive quantities of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and other illegal drugs and narcotics, preventing them from ending up on the streets of Frankfort. K9 Otto will spend his retirement with his handler, Sergeant Evan Hall.
K9 Otto was born in Poland and was trained and certified during a four-week program in Elkhart, Indiana. The purchase of Otto was partially funded by a grant from the Clinton County Drug and Alcohol Coalition and private donations. Otto also made numerous appearances at community meetings, National Night Out events, and school visits with his handler, Sergeant Hall.
“Over the past five years, Otto has become a big part of the Frankfort Police Department family, as well as part of my personal life. Having him retire will be a big adjustment for him as well as myself. It is unfortunate his career had been shortened due to medical issues. I am thankful I had the opportunity to have him as a partner. I am also thankful for the Frankfort Police Department and the City of Frankfort for the ongoing support of the K9 program”, said Sergeant Hall.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend K9 Otto’s retirement ceremony at the Frankfort Police Department on Thursday, November 21, at 7:30 p.m. The ceremony will be held in the FPD conference room and will process outside the Washington Street lobby doors. Washington Street will be blocked off for the ceremony.