None But the Brave

 “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” Josh Billings.

"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." John 15:13

Remembering Graffit, Jefferson County K9.

I'm going to leave it to others, those officers who have spent their professional lives with a K9 partner, to describe what it's like to work the dangerous, demanding assignment of K9 handler. It's a difficult gig, one beautifully laid out by a friend in his wonderful book, Rocky. That's their story, and I'll let them tell it.

Yesterday, officers with the Colorado School of Mines police contacted a person sitting in a car on their campus. The investigation is far from complete, but the basics are fairly well established. Rather than submit to the lawful authority of police trying to keep their campus safe (the later, tragic events of the day on the campus of Michigan State University only emphasize the stakes) the person reacted violently, displayed a firearm and fled on foot.

Among the law enforcement officers who responded in support of Mines cops was a K9 team from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. I didn't have to be there to know they accepted the assignment willingly and without hesitation. Other officers needed help with a dangerous, combative suspect - of course they went.

The K9 teams at Jeffco SO are excellent - superbly trained, experienced, talented. K9 Graffit found the suspect. For some unknown reason, rather than surrender, the suspect shot Graffit. Officers returned fire, Graffit having given his life to save his deputy partner.

And here are the non-technical take aways. 

More officers arrived and - there are those who will find this hard to believe - successfully persuaded the suspect to surrender and took him into custody without further incident and injury. Read that again if you need to. Grieving the loss of one of their prized K9 partners, officers acted with professionalism and restraint.

Graffit was carried, covered in the American flag, through a throng of first responders, standing at attention. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friend.

I am proud of the men and women who responded, who took care of business and who now mourn the loss of their partner. I admire every one of you.