K-9 Officer Wade Named For Trooper Killed Near Havre de Grace

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — There's a new K-9 on the Maryland State Police force, and he's named for an officer who was killed in the line of duty near Havre de Grace. "K-9 Wade" officially joined the ranks on Friday, according to police.

The German shepherd is named in honor of Trooper Gary Wade, who was hit by a vehicle on Interstate 95, where he pulled someone over for a traffic violation about a quarter-mile south of the Havre de Grace exit. Another driver hit Trooper Wade, his police vehicle, the stopped vehicle and the person inside the stopped vehicle, authorities said.

Trooper Wade was pronounced deceased at the scene on Jan. 30, 1982, police said. He was 25 years old.

He was assigned to the North East barrack, where the K-9 officer named in his honor is also stationed, now that he and partner Trooper First Class Kyle Morrison completed 26 weeks of intense training and graduated Friday from the Maryland State Police Academy in Sykesville.

K-9 Wade and Trooper Morrison are part of a dual-purpose team that does a mix of drug detection and patrol/utility work, according to police. At graduation, they were joined by one officer from the Easton Police Department and two other K-9 teams, whose four-legged officers were also named for fallen troopers.

K-9 Plank, a German shepherd who will work with Cpl. Dana Orndorff at the Easton Barrack, was named for Trooper First Class Edward Plank. Trooper Plank, 28, was killed on Oct. 17, 1995, when he was shot by a suspect after conducting a traffic stop on US 13 in Princess Anne.

K-9 Hunter, a Belgian Malinois, is partnered with Trooper First Class Shawn Brown at the Westminster barrack. He was named for Trooper First Class Shaft Hunter, who was killed on May 21, 2011, when his patrol car collided with the back of a tractor-trailer parked on the shoulder of I-95 in Howard County. The 39-year-old trooper, who was believed to have been chasing a speeding motorcycle at the time of the crash, had also been a member of the K-9 unit, police said.

There are other remembrances of the troopers around the state. A highway sign on US 13 was dedicated in Trooper Plank's memory in 2015; a sign on I-95 in Howard County was installed in 2012 in Trooper Shaft's honor; and a sign on I-95 north of the MD 155 exit was dedicated in memory of Trooper Wade in 2015.

Wade had been a member of Maryland State Police for under two years, according to the agency, but he made a lasting impression on those around him. His fellow officers continue posting memories of him 36 years later on his memorial page.

"It is especially saddening to lose someone so young and eager to serve his community," Maryland State Police said after the death of 25-year-old Trooper Gary Wade in 1982. "His death is a reminder of the uncertainty and risk that distinguishes the commitment required of all police officers." The agency announced Friday that K-9 Wade, pictured, has been named in his honor. Photo courtesy of Maryland State Police.