Vancouver police canine named in honour of Calgary officer who was killed on obligation

A Calgary police officer killed on obligation is being honoured by a Metro Vancouver Transit Police namesake — a four-legged one.

Harnett is a two-year-old German shorthaired pointer who’s an explosive detection police canine. She’s named for Sgt. Andrew Harnett, who was killed throughout a visitors cease on New Yr’s Eve 2020 in Calgary after an SUV he’d pulled over took off with the officer hanging onto the motive force’s aspect of the automobile.

“We want to thank the Metro Vancouver Transit Police for honouring Sgt. Andrew Harnett within the naming of a Police Service Canine in his reminiscence,” Calgary Police Service and Sgt. Harnett’s household mentioned in a press release.

“We’ll always remember the final word sacrifice Andrew made and it brings us consolation understanding he will probably be remembered in Vancouver as effectively.”

His brother, Jason Harnett, mentioned in a tweet that “one other actual digger named Harnett is again on the watch.”

A second canine with the Vancouver transit police, Chopper, is called after Const. Ryan (Chopper) Masales of the Abbotsford Police Division. He died from most cancers two years in the past.

The 2 canines obtained their badges Thursday. 

“That is going to be a possibility for our handlers to inform the tales of those two advantageous officers and what they’ve completed for policing and the legacy that they’ve left,” mentioned Sgt. Gord McGuinness with the explosive detection K9 unit in a video launched by the transit police.