JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — A former K9 with the Jamestown Police Department has died of cancer.
The police department said in a Facebook post Saturday that Mitchell had been retired after 8 years of service and was 12 years old.
"Mitchell was Officer Erik Kraft’s first K9 as a new handler," Jamestown Police said in announcing the news.
"Mitchell was everything an officer could ask for in a K9 partner; loyal, brave, disciplined, and intelligent. His detection work was unprecedented and led to numerous arrests and drug seizures in his career.
Mitchell and Officer Kraft served as the Grand Marshals of the 2016 Christmas parade in Jamestown after Mitchell was stabbed by a homicide suspect. He was critically wounded, but after being cared for at Moonbrook Veterinary Hospital, he eventually returned to full duty.
Lawmakers in the New York State Senate later pushed for a piece of legislation called "Mitchell's Law," in the K9's honor. The bill never made it past the Senate, however. It would have made it a felony to injure a police dog in the line of duty.
Mitchell served in the Jamestown Police Department for roughly eight years.
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