Council Honors Fallen Police Dog and Longtime Partner

At the end of October the Howell Police Department that longtime police dog Blitz had died after several years of service to the township. On Tuesday night at the of the , Blitz's partner Lt. Andy Kudrick was honored for their service during that time.

In reading the proclamation, Mayor Robert Walsh mentioned some of the awards and accomplishments Blitz and Kudrick received during their time together. Throughout the years they responded to over 500 calls for service and performed more than 200 public demonstrations. The pair also worked together to find not only missing people and fugitives but also a wide variety of illegal materials. "K-9 Officer Blitz bravely and loyally served the community for 10 years," the mayor said adding that he'll be remembered as a "loyal partner," and "fearless protector."

For his part, Kudrick said during the meeting that his relationship with Blitz started back in 1999 when he was one of the first officers assigned to the K-9 unit. The two spent almost nine years working on the force. "Out of the 18 years of my law enforcement career it was the most rewarding nine years of my career," he said. "I got to do a lot of things that most people can't do."

According to Kudrick only three percent of all police officers get the chance to serve with a K-9 partner, which he said is a point of pride for him. "If it wasn't for the township council and my police department I wouldn't have been given that opportunity."

Over the past few years Kudrick said his department has seen cuts in several of what he called the "specialized units." He said he was glad that K-9 has not been one of them. He did say during the meeting that while there had been three dogs serving at one time, there is now one and a half full time dogs serving not only Howell Township also the surrounding area.

Since getting promoted, Kudrick said Ptl. Nick Bondarew has replaced him and continued the rpoud tradtion of service and self sacrifice having spent $6000 to buy his police dog Jago. "You can see the dedication of some of our officers. They realize that the town and the county and the state were in financial hardships so that's what these types of officers do. They go out and spend their own money," he said. "They're not benefitting themselves, they're benefitting the town that they work in."

Kudrick said of his partner, "He made me look good for nine years. I just held the lead."