Wilmington Police Mourn Death of K-9

WILMINGTON, MA — The Wilmington Police Department is mourning one of its own this morning.

The WPD announced the death K-9 Kimo Friday, who was 13 years old. He arrived in Wilmington in 2004 and was assigned to work with officer Eric Palmer.

"On patrol, Kimo was the epitome of a police dog," read a WPD press release."He was always highly focused, driven, and had a true grasp on what his role was as a police dog."

Kimo served the department for 6 years before his retirement in 2010. He was certified in narcotics detection from the Boston PD K-9 academy, United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) and the International Police Work Dog Association (IPWDA). He always finished between third and first place in all of the events that he participated in.

Kimo aided in tracking down missing children, mentally ill and suicidal persons and several fleeing criminals. He also helped the WPD make countless drug seizures.

He unfortunately was forced to retire early due to a degenerative spinal issue. He remained out the remainder of his years with Officer Palmer.

"On top of being a no nonsense “Street dog”, Kimo had a softer side, happily performing in numerous public demonstrations in the schools, for the public, and for various organizations," read the announcement."Kimo loved to come into roll call at the beginning of the shift with his toy, always knowing that he could get an officer to play with him...You will be missed Kimo, you served us well."

Image via the Wilmington Police Department