K9 Bandit

Date: 1970 to 5 Aug 1975
Location: Virginia, United States
Surnames/tags: first_responders K9

Biography

Working for the Fairfax County Police Department in Virginia, K9 Bandit and his handler, Officer Thomas Daines, were the second K9 Unit for the department, formed in 1972. K9 Bandit was a German Shepherd, trained in both detection and apprehension.^[1][2]

In January of 1975, Officer Daines and K9 Bandit participated in a joint crime prevention operation which resulted in the arrest of three cat burglars - who were caught in the act. According to the Northern Virginia Sun's article, Officer Daines had threatened to turn K9 Bandit loose to apprehend the burglars:^[3]

"The burglars came to the front of the store, saw the police dog [K9 Bandit] and decided to give up."

Police Dog Dies A Hero

On August 5th, 1975, Officer Daines and K9 Bandit were assisting in the pursuit of a stolen vehicle. Just as the vehicle crossed over the Prince William County line, the vehicle stopped and two men in the early twenties ran from the vehicle on foot. K9 Bandit was released and he took off after the men. During the foot pursuit, Officer Daines heard gunshots and K9 Bandit failed to return to the police car.

A search operation was mobilized to find K9 Bandit, which included many local residents and children. Just before 2:00pm, a woman located K9 Bandit who had sought refuge under a trailer - just 100 yards from where he was released. He had been shot multiple times and was bleeding profusely. K9 Bandit was transported to a local animal hospital, but succumbed to his wounds later that evening.^[4]

Memorial

On October 16th, 2009, Officers of the Fairfax County Police Department attended the Virginia Law Enforcement K-9 Memorial dedication at the Virginia-Maryland Regional School of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. The Officers attended to honor K9 Bandit.^[5]

I am a Working Dog

My eyes are your eyes, to watch you and to protect you and yours,
My ears are your ears, to hear and detect evil minds in the dark,
My nose is your nose, to scent the invader of your domain,
And so you may live, my life is also yours.
- Cicero

Sources

1. ↑ Daines, Thomas. “"The Fairfax County Police K-9 Unit and an Early Experience", Fairfax County Police Department; Selected Histories - A Quarterly Anniversary Newsletter,” September 2015.
2. ↑ United States Federal Aviation Administration. "Field Evaluation of the Contribution of the Trained Dog/Handler Team to Airport Security". R. Neil Bell. FAA-RD-73-5. Washington, D.C.: Department of Transportation, 1973.
3. ↑ "Northern Virginia Sun 29 January 1975 — Virginia Chronicle: Digital Newspaper Archive". 2023. Virginiachronicle.Com. https://virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=NVS19750129&dliv=userclipping&cliparea=1.1%2C124%2C3270%2C1415%2C1235&factor=2.
4. ↑ "Northern Virginia Sun 6 August 1975 — Virginia Chronicle: Digital Newspaper Archive". 2023. Virginiachronicle.Com. https://virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=NVS19750806&dliv=userclipping&cliparea=1.1%2C2661%2C2561%2C368%2C1723&factor=4.
5. ↑ Smylie, Patti, Mary Ann Jennings, and Capt. Mike Dittmer, eds. "Canine Memorial Dedication"; Behind the Badge, July 2010.