Good Boy: GRPD K-9 officer Jack Retires After 8 Years Of Service

After years of service, all Grand Rapids police officers will eventually retire. Even the ones who help out on four paws.

And over the weekend, the Grand Rapids Police Department said their goodbyes to an important part of their force over the past eight years, K-9 officer Jack.

According to a post made by the GRPD on facebook, was certified in narcotics detection and patrol functions. He also helped in assisting in finding suspects for robberies, In fact, during Jack’s impressive career, he and his human partner Officer Doug Stevens responded to over 1,400 requests for K9 support. That's a lot of crimes that Jack tried to help solve for our community.

And Jack's work wasn't entirely thankless. In fact, his human handler, Officer Stevens said that there were times that Jack got recognized out in public for his service to the community.

Once we had a person stop us as we were leaving a call. The person asked if my dog’s name was Jack. When I told him yes, he thanked us profusely as a few years prior, Jack had successfully tracked an armed robbery suspect. The person we met was the victim in that crime and remembered Jack’s name from the court proceedings.

So what is Jack going to do now that he's no longer working for GRPD? According to facebook, his ownership has been transferred from the City of Grand Rapids to the Stevens family, who is looking forward to spoiling Jack in retirement. So good news, his partner in crime Officer Stevens, will be his best buddy in retirement too.

Jack, you've been such a good boy. You deserve all of the treats, belly rubs, and as much fetch as you care to play. Thanks for helping keep Grand Rapids safe!