Salem Mourns Loss Of Retired Police K9 Axel

SALEM, MA — The Salem Police Department shared on Thursday that its members are mourning the loss of retired K9 Axel, who died on Wednesday after previously serving the city for nine years.

Axel retired in 2021 to the home of former handler Lt. Robert Lubas and his family.

"We would like to express our thanks and appreciation to the Salem community, particularly Rosemary O'Connor and Cheryl and Andy LaPointe, who have worked tirelessly to support the Salem Police Department's K9 program," Salem police said. "Axel's legacy of service lives on through Salem's current cadre of K9s — Derby, Madden and our newest arrival, Liberty."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)