Article Image Alt Text

Marksville Police Sgt. Torrick Friels with his partner K-9 Officer Hera.

Article Image Alt Text

REMEMBERING A FELLOW OFFICER
James Cook (right) and Damon Didier (left) fold a U.S. flag at the memorial service for K-9 officer Hera on Feb. 13.
{Photo courtesy of Torrick Friels}

Marksville P.D. mourns death of 4-legged officer

K9 Officer Hera died in an accident in November

“She was not a human officer, but she was an officer just the same,” Marksville Mayor John Lemoine said in honoring the memory of Hera, the city police department’s K-9 officer.

Hera died in an accident at her home on Nov. 29.

The city held a memorial service for her on Feb. 13 at the Marksville Police Station.

Hera was remembered by handler Sgt. Torrick Friels as a valuable partner, fellow officer and faithful friend, “but mostly she was family.”

Lt. Dana Adams led the memorial service while officers James Cook and Damon Didier folded an American flag in Hera’s honor during the ceremony.

Friels was presented a necklace containing Hera’s ashes and her name imprinted on it.

Hera had been an MPD K-9 officer since 2012.

She was valuable as a narcotics “drug sniffer,” but was also used in tracking escapees and missing children over the past seven years.

She was also a great public relations officer for the department.

Last year several police, fire and EMS agencies were on hand at the Bethune Center for an event for area Head Start children.

“Hera was the main attraction and the kids loved her,” Friels said. 

Hera was a frequent visitor to schools and community functions, building a positive relationship between the department and the community she and her fellow-officers served.

“She knew when kids were around it was time to play,” Friels said, “but when the lights and siren were turned on, she was ready for business.

“Anytime she saw me in uniform, she knew she was going to work,” he added.

Friels said Hera is “already missed and hopefully soon we can get another to fill her spot and try to do the job she did.”

Hera was a 7-year-old Belgian Malinois. Friels had been her handler for the last several years.

She was responsible for recovering thousands of dollars in narcotics and forfeitures in cases for the Marksville P.D. and other area agencies.

One of her last cases was the double homicide at Borrel’s night club in Marksville. Hera worked on crowd control and kept detectives safe on-site as they worked the crime scene.

She also helped in a recent arrest that recovered 400 Ecstasy pills and 200 grams of individually wrapped bags of suspected marijuana.

She was the department’s third K-9 officer. Her predecessors, male German shepherds Blake and Jedi, both died after retiring. Hera was the first to die while on active duty. She was the department’s first female K-9 officer.

There is a memorial card to Hera at http://www.k9memorialcards. com/k9s/.

The Connecticut Police Working Dog Association has added her to the Line of Duty Deaths for 2018 at https://www.cpwda. com/k9_kilod.htm.

There are several poems about the attributes of the K-9 police and war dogs who serve and have served the public since World War II. One is entitled “Guardians of the Night.” The author is unknown.
This poem is on the Connecticut Police Working Dog Association website and these segments are used with that organization's permission.

Trust in me my friend, for I am your comrade.
I will protect you with my last breath.
When all others have left you
And the loneliness of the night closes in,
I will be at your side.
...
My days are measured by the coming and going of your footsteps.
I anticipate them at every opening of the door.
You are the voice of caring when I am ill;
The voice of authority when I've done wrong.
...
I will remain ever silent, ever vigilant, ever loyal.
And when our time together is done
And you move on in the world,
Remember me with kind thoughts and tales.
...
If we should meet again on another street,
I will gladly take up your fight.
I am a Police Working Dog
And together we are guardians of the night.

AVOYELLES JOURNAL
BUNKIE RECORD
MARKSVILLE WEEKLY

105 N Main St
Marksville, LA 71351
(318) 253-9247

CONTACT US