The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office held a tribute for K-9 Destro on Wednesday afternoon at the Sheriff’s Office on Park road.
Destro passed away after a short battle with cancer a few weeks ago. The German Shepherd began his law enforcement career in 2013 and was known for his successes in locating suspects, vulnerable people, narcotics and evidence.
(Sgt. Todd Draper and K-9 Kye from the Medina Police Department speaking with Deputy Chris Erion)
As members of the community and the law enforcement family gathered, one thing was clear, Destro was special to a lot of people throughout the area.
“We could trust him to go out and hang out and have a good time and take affection, but when it came time to work he would switch that gear and be able to go to work too,” says Deputy Chris Erion, Destro’s handler.
He was the community’s dog and a valuable asset to the Sheriff’s Office and surrounding law enforcement agencies.
“He could be a friendly dog and go and take pets and then go bite a bad guy if he needed to.”
Deputy Erion says he has been overwhelmed since Destro passed away.
“I always though it was my job as a K-9 Officer to make connections, but to see 4-6 years later people are turning around and saying I remember you, its overwhelming to see that he has touched people like that.”
Erion says fundraising efforts to get another K-9 are going very well. He says the first donation from Main Street Pizza owner Vic Marchese for $4,000 kind of set the tone. A number of schools in the area also have fundraising events planned,
“By the end of the year we should have a dog and by March we will be ready for the basic classes in Canada where we will work together for 3 months for 4 days a week 10 hours a day.”
Erion says he hopes to hit the ground running by the summer.