Maine K-9 to be honored at national memorial service
Maine (WABI) – A Maine State Police canine will be among 23 K-9s honored at the annual National Police K-9 Memorial Service on May 11.
K-9 Preacher, a four-year-old Belgian Malinois, was shot and killed during a tactical team operation in Portage Lake in February 2025. He is the only K-9 ever killed in the line of duty in Maine.
The National Police Dog Foundation will host the ceremony at 1 p.m. at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. The service honors K-9 heroes from local, state, tribal and federal agencies who died in the line of duty in 2025.
National Police Week tribute
The memorial service is part of National Police Week, which runs May 11 through 16. Thousands travel to Washington, D.C., each May to honor law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
The ceremony includes a wreath-laying to honor the fallen K-9s.
“We do have representations from other countries that come to our service, so these dogs are getting recognized at a national and international level,” said Alexandra Kowalski, marketing director for the National Police Dog Foundation.
Preacher’s handler, Sgt. Jonathan Russell, will attend the service.
“We do it for the K-9s, but we also do it for the handlers so that they can also have that one last ‘thank you’ or memory of their dog,” Kowalski said.