Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon dedicated a new memorial to past and present K-9 officers outside the sheriff’s office in Riverhead yesterday.
The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office has six K-9s – three Corrections K-9s and three Deputy K-9s. These K-9 units have been responsible for the recovery of extensive amounts of illegal narcotics — and the proceeds as well, the sheriff’s office said in a press release. Over the years, our K-9 units have found missing persons, wanted felons, and recovered evidence from cases of assault, robberies and burglaries, the release said.
The granite used to create the monument is from the old Riverhead Jail that was torn down about 80 years ago, the sheriff’s office said. It is the same stone used to to create the monument in the front of the building dedicated to the county’s deputy sheriffs and correction officers who died in service. The other materials used to create the K-9 monument were purchased using asset forfeiture funds.
Toulon was joined at the ceremony by Undersheriff Kevin Catalina, Undersheriff Steven Kuehhas, Chief Deputy Michael Sharkey, and K-9 units from many different agencies, including Suffolk County Police, MTA Police, Town of Riverhead Police, Nassau County Police, DEC Police, and the SPCA.
“This is a special day for us at the Sheriff’s Office and in Suffolk County because today we have the opportunity to honor and pay tribute to our K-9 Family in Law Enforcement with a monument dedicated to their service.”
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