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WCSD Police Say Goodbye to Beloved K-9 Member
Reno, NV (November 23 2011)Reno The Washoe County School District Police Department is sad to announce that K-9 Yoshi has passed away due to health problems. Yoshi was the first K-9 that the department had and along with Officer Palacios, started the K-9 program for our department. The K-9 program has gone on to become instrumental in the suppression, and arrests of drug and firearm related crimes on and around school properties throughout the district.
Yoshi, a German Shepard, started his service with the department at the age of two. Yoshi was trained to detect illegal narcotics, as well as firearms. During Yoshi's first week of service he located five and a half pounds of marijuana, with an approximate value of $5000.00. Over the course of his service, Yoshi conducted hundreds of proactive "Sniffs" of classrooms, and other various buildings throughout the district. The mere presence of Yoshi on a campus was a deterrent for illegal activity.
In addition to his normal district responsibilities, Yoshi also assisted local and federal law enforcement, including: Reno PD, Sparks, PD, Washoe County Sheriff's Office, The Department of Homeland Security, The Drug Enforcement Agency, Federal Parole and Probation, as well as assisted with Dignitary Protection Details. Yoshi was also involved in community wide activities such as Kids Fairs, Career Fairs, The Hispanic Heritage Fair, as well as numerous classroom presentations from kindergarten to high school.
In 2003, the Governor's Office awarded Officer Mario Palacios and K-9 Yoshi the "Outstanding Performance and Dedications to the Field of Substance Abuse Prevention and Enforcement" award.
After retiring from active duty in 2006, Yoshi enjoyed his retirement days with the Palacios Family. On November 16th, 2011 at the age of sixteen, Yoshi passed away. We would like to offer our thanks to Yoshi, Officer Palacios and the Palacios family for their dedication and service to the students, staff, parents, and the Washoe County Community.
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About Washoe County School District: The
Washoe County School District includes the Reno/Sparks metropolitan
area, Incline Village, Gerlach, Empire and Wadsworth, Nevada. The
District provides each of its 63,000 students with a superior education
in a safe and challenging environment and is committed to graduate every
child career and college ready.For more information visit: www.washoecountyschools.org. Follow us on Twitter at WCSDTweet.
Washoe County School District
425 East Ninth Street
Reno, NV 89520
