Five K-9s from three S.C. LE agencies perished in 2024
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Deceased K-9s with the Richland County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Department have been honored with a beautiful new memorial statue in RCSD’s memorial garden in front of RCSD headquarters in Columbia. The statue was officially unveiled, Thursday, May 15, National Peace Officers Memorial Day.
The unveiling followed the National Police K-9 Memorial Service held, May 11, at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., initiating National Police Week 2025.
During the Washington service, 22 deceased K-9s from across the U.S. were recognized as having been killed in action (KIA) or lost to natural causes over the previous year. Five of the 22 losses were from South Carolina, and three of the five – Bumi, Kodak, and Wick – were Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) K-9’s each of whom died in the line-of-duty. The other two S.C. K-9s lost were K-9 Coba with the S.C. Law Enforcement Division and K-9 Mikka with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
RCSD’s three K-9s along with their handlers were honored in D.C., and each RCSD deputy handler placed a red rose at the base of the national memorial. The three K-9 losses suffered by RCSD were more than that of any other law enforcement agency in the U.S. for 2024. Most of the other attending agencies experienced only one K-9 loss last year. “Though one loss is one too many,” said RCSD Deputy Chief Maria Yturria.
Four days following the Washington service, RCSD held its own memorial service.
“This [the K-9 statue for RCSD] is a fitting memorial,” said Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott during the May 15 unveiling ceremony. “This past Sunday, not only were human law enforcement officers lost in the line-of-duty recognized, but fallen K-9s, nationwide. Through the years we’ve had several Richland County K-9s lost in the line of duty. This [the RCSD memorial] recognizes both those K-9s we have lost to natural causes and those lost in the line-of-duty, the KIAs.”
According to Lott: “The K-9’s names are inscribed on the memorial, but the line-of-duty losses have a special star added next to their names. We want to make sure they are never forgotten. The sacrifices made both by the K-9s and their handlers must be recognized.”
Lott added: “Unfortunately for us, we’ve lost four K-9s in the line of duty, three of them last year. My hope, prayer and dream is that we will never have another star [designating KIAs] added to this memorial.”
The fourth K-9, Fargo, was shot and killed in 2011.
RCSD maintains approximately 25 K-9s including several full-service patrol dogs –responsible for criminal apprehension, tracking and pursuit, narcotics detection, and locating missing persons – two EOD dogs (K-9s that detect bombs and explosive devices), one electronics-detection (computer hard-drives, cameras, etc.) K-9, and a search and recovery K-9. RCSD also has “C.J.,” the department’s popular crisis intervention K-9.
Funds for the RCSD K-9 memorial were raised by the non-profit K-9 Godmothers.
– Photographs by RCSD Deputy Jay Weaver.
