Sarasota Police Say Goodbye to K9 Officer Nero

Sarasota Police officers are mourning the loss of one of their own.

K9 Officer Nero, a 9-year-old German Shepard, died Thursday morning following a short fight with cancer, according to police spokeswoman Genevieve Judge.

Nero was born in the Czech Republic in June 2005 and joined the Sarasota force in June 2006.

“He served the City of Sarasota proudly, being certified in both Patrol and Narcotics,” Judge wrote in an email to media.

During his time with his human partner Sgt. McHale, Nero met many residents of Sarasota, young and old, and also was a regular at the police department’s citizens’ academy.

“K-9 Officer Nero and his partner, Sgt. McHale, have been a shining example of the impact that a K-9 team can have since 2006,” Capt. Patrick Robinson said. “They have had the uncanny ability to respond to almost any criminal incident and address it efficiently and effectively and turn around and represent the Police Department at a community or school event within the same shift without missing a beat.”

Robinson said all the department’s K-9 Officers and their handlers are “fearless, courageous, and will not hesitate to lay down their life to save a fellow Officer or citizen.”

Nero, he said, exemplified those traits.

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Photo courtesy of the Sarasota Police Department