Retired YCSO K-9 Paris passes away
Police pooch had a six-year career in law enforcement
The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office announced on Wednesday that retired K-9 Paris, who was responsible for the seizure of 208.6 pounds of cocaine during his six-year career, passed away on Tuesday.
K-9 Paris, a sable and black in color male German Shepherd, retired on April 30, 2014, and continued to reside with his handler, Deputy William Rice and his family. He was born on Jan. 5, 2007.
“He was named after the ancient Athens leader Pericles meaning ‘Surrounded by Glory’ and K-9 Paris proved to live by his name,” said Public Information Officer Alfonso Zavala.
Deputy Rice and Paris were assigned to the Yuma County Detention Center. Their mission was to deter and detect the presence of narcotics in the Detention Center, which included marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.
They were also frequently called upon to assist the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Bureau and the Yuma County Narcotics Task Force (YCNTF) to assist in arrests, to search vehicles following traffic stops and with the service of search warrants.
In addition to assisting the YCSO Patrol Bureau and YCNTF, K-9 Paris and his handler were also called on to assist numerous agencies within Yuma County to include the Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF), Arizona Department of Public Safety, Arizona State Gang Task Force (G.I.I.T.E.M.), and Cocopah Tribal Police Department.
Other agencies that had requested Paris and Rice’s assistance over the years were the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, San Luis Police Department, Smuggling Interdiction Group, Somerton Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol and Yuma Police Department.
During his tenure, Paris, in addition to the cocaine, was also responsible for the seizure of 4,929 pounds of marijuana; 149.2 pounds of methamphetamine; and $601,958.00 in U.S. currency.
Paris and his handler attended the U.S. Border Patrol K-9 Academy at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas in May 2008. The pair successfully completed the 240-hour course on June 20, 2008, and received the Border Patrol Certification.
James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 5396854. Find him on Facebook at www. Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @YSJamesGilbert.