Killed in the line of duty

Wednesday is the twenty-five year anniversary of the death of Ventura's K9 Sonny (pronounced “Sony”) who was shot in the line of duty on August 26, 1984.

Specially-trained police dogs are a key part of Ventura's law enforcement team. "They do things that planes or helicopters can't do," marvels Sgt. Jack Richard, whose two decades of experience with K-9 police dogs has made him a statewide expert. He tells the story of using seven officers to hold a square mile perimeter to isolate a dangerous suspect. "It would have taken 25 additional officers to search an area that large, but with a single dog, the suspect was located hiding in a lemon tree invisible from the ground or the air." The suspect tried kicking the dog. Bad move. He ended up being pulled out of the tree by his foot.

But clearing buildings and pursuing fleeing criminals aren't the only useful roles for the K-9s. Their sense of smell so far exceeds humans that they are also invaluable at locating lost kids and criminal evidence. "I've seen a dog find a knife in a strawberry field," Richards recalls. "Their training means a kid can come up and pet them -- and on command a moment later they can outrun and bring down a dangerous criminal."

They also fiercely protect their officer partners as Sonny did 25 years ago. Dogs are not normally used against armed suspects unless officers have the advantage of surprise. In this case, Sonny was deployed to subdue the suspect from behind, but his killer wheeled and shot Sonny twice in the head.

Sonny's partner was Officer Vern Alstot, who is now a Battalion Chief with the Ventura Fire Department. The bond between K-9s and their police officer counterparts is extraordinarily close. The dog and human not only work together, they live together and the devotion of K-9 dogs is legendary. “Even after twenty-five years it is still hard for me to appropriately describe the connection an officer develops with their canine partner," Alstot comments. "I will never forget his dedication and loyalty."

While the suspect was later convicted of the crime he was being pursued for committing, he was not charged with the death of the K-9. As a result of this incident in 1985 California State Senator Robert Presley successfully introduced an amendment to Section 600 of the California State Penal Code (PC), which made the killing of any police animal a felony.

In tribute to Sonny's service and sacrifice, Ventura patrol cars will be displaying a sticker commemorating the anniversary of his loss. His name is also scheduled to be added to the "Faithful Partners" memorial at the University of California Davis, which honors California police canines killed in the line of duty.