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Show Officers get request Police dog to be buried at city hall By JUDY JENSEN Editor NORTH SALT LAKE More than 30 police officers gathered at a recent city council meeting with a very unusual request. Officers from Woods Cross, Farmington, Centerville, West Bountiful and the Davis County Sheriffs Department attended the meeting to lend their support to the idea of securing a final resting place for "Pascha" on the grounds at the North Salt Lake City Hall. "He's another officer and we want him to have a place of honor," hon-or," said Officer Mike Wright who acted as spokesman for the group. Pascha is the German Shepherd that has served the North Salt Lake Police Department for the past eight years. The dog is now suffering suffer-ing from a totally disabling back problem. "He can't even go up and down stairs anymore," North Salt Lake Sergeant Steve Harder sadly explained. ex-plained. Pascha has lived with the Harders for the past eight years. "We have to put him to sieep to get him out of his misery," he added. In his. prime. Pascha was involved in-volved in many police investigations. investiga-tions. Many of the officers from the various agencies recalled numerous numer-ous incidents when Pascha had assisted them. "He's another officer. offic-er. What you are seeing here is the brotherhood of police looking out for a fellow officer," said Karen Wright who serves as a Woods Cross Police reserve officer. "Everyone here owes at least one favor to this dog," said Officer Wright. "He's saved a lot of us from injury and possible death in . our investigations, by flushing out suspects in dangerous situations." North Salt Lake is the only South Davis community to own police dogs. Over the years the dogs have been used by all of the communities. According to North Salt Lake Police Chief Val Wilson, police dogs can cover an area in 15 minutes that it would take several officers two hours to search. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Police dog monument Continued from page one Pascha has been replaced on the force with Canto, another German Shepherd. Pascha is the third North Salt Lake police dog. In the past when the dogs were replaced they were given a retirement party, but Pascha has found a special place in the hearts of the officers. Sergeant Harder explained to the council that the officers wanted permission to bury Pascha in front of city hall and to erect a monument monu-ment honoring him and "Cyrus" and "Tiffy," the first two city police dogs. Additional space would be provided on the stone to add the names of new dogs over the years. The council was moved by the emotion-filled request and the sup. port of the large number of officers who crowded into city hall to hear the ruling on the request. TjfV council agreed that the dogs weV indeed a valuable part of the police department. They voted unani-mously unani-mously to allow the burial and the marker to be erected. Officer Wright said they will make arrangements to begin the project as soon as possible. |
