SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 18, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — The Salt Lake City Police Department has announced one of its police bloodhounds, 3-year-old K-9 Bruce, died on Sunday.
A necropsy determined the unexpected death was because of a medical condition previously unknown to his handler, family, or the Salt Lake City Police Department.
K-9 Bruce successfully passed all his training and certifications and achieved his first and second capture, simultaneously, with his police handler on July 1, 2021, while assisting the Taylorsville Police Department, the SLCPD statement says.
“This is devastating to K-9 Bruce’s partner, his family, the K-9 squad, and our entire department,” said SLCPD Chief Mike Brown. “Our police canines are members of our police family and our community.
“K-9 Bruce represented the epitome of what we expect in a police canine. His temperament was always courageous when on the job yet gentle enough to be loved by everyone he met, including children.”
Since his first capture, Bruce and his handler deployed on countless calls for service, including searching for violent offenders, fugitives, and missing persons. Bruce successfully found 31 people during his career, the statement says.
Born in Iowa in November 2020, Bruce joined the Salt Lake City Police Department at the age of eight weeks and was immediately assigned to his police handler.
When other jurisdictions needed help, K-9 Bruce and his police handler were often the very first to respond.
“K-9 Bruce achieved so much, and we are in debt to his service and legacy,” Chief Brown added. “I will remember K-9 Bruce for his personality, persistence, and the way he protected our city.”
The Salt Lake City Police Department remembers K-9 Bruce as a happy, hardworking canine, the statement says.
“Everyone loved his playful personality and fell in love with his extra folds of soft skin,” said Chief Brown.
Salt Lake City police canines are more than just partners to an officer. They live with the officer and become a close and beloved member of their family. K9 Bruce’s handler, and his family, are asking for privacy, the statement says.
