Memorial For Palm Springs Police Dog Brings Closure

Local law enforcement officers and their canine partners attended a memorial service today for a Palm Springs police dog shot by a wanted parolee.

The dog had been with the department for nearly two years when he was killed in an April 17 confrontation between police and 31-year-old Francisco Gabriel Durazo, who was fatally shot by officers. An officer also was shot but survived.

Ike was the first police dog in the department’s history to be killed in the line of duty and his loss was an emotional one for the officers, who viewed the canine like a human member of their team.

“It was the opinion of everyone who knew Ike that he was the ultimate friend, an outstanding partner, a loyal member of his handler’s family and, in the end, a lifesaver,” interim police Chief Al Franz said recently.

The late-morning service in the Oasis Room at the Palm Springs Convention Center included a video tribute that showed Ike in action.

Ike was 10 months old when he was acquired in January 2009 — the youngest dog ever to join the department. Money raised by students at Cielo Vista and Cahuilla elementary schools helped pay for the animal, Long said.

Ike, who started patrol duties on April 28, 2009, and his handler played a role in at least 30 arrests. Together, they did 259 outdoor searches, 92 building searches and responded to more than 300 burglary and robbery calls, Officer Rhonda Long said.

Police had been chasing Durazo on April 17 for an unspecified parole violation, according to Franz, who said the suspect had also led police on a chase March 18 in a stolen vehicle.

Police and Durazo exchanged shots about 1:20 a.m. in 2700 block of Verona Road near the Palm Springs Country Club. Police unleashed Ike on Durazo, but he shot the dog to death before being killed himself.

Donations in Ike’s name can be made to the Gary Kitchen Memorial Fund, benefiting the Palm Springs Police Department K-9 Unit, P.O. Box 1830, Palm Springs, 92263.