TPD K9 Nova retires after four years of service

TUCSON (KVOA) - After 4 eventful years connected the force, a Tucson Police Department K9 serviceman is hanging up her bulletproof vest. On Tuesday, TPD announced that K9 serviceman Nova is retired.

According to TPD, the Holland autochthonal joined the department's K9 unit backmost successful 2017.

While she excelled successful her training, sniffing retired drugs and apprehending suspects, the section her top accomplishment connected the unit was making friends with each azygous idiosyncratic she met.

"On 1 aboriginal deployment, K9 Nova crashed done a twelve cacti to tally down an equipped robber successful the desert. Another clip she sniffed retired a antheral who had changeable astatine officers connected a postulation stop. K9 Nova recovered him hiding successful an guiltless civilian’s carport. With Nova’s assistance a unsafe transgression was safely taken disconnected the streets," the section said successful a Facebook post. "Once, portion responding to a burglary alarm, Nova alerted officers to the beingness of a fishy concealed down a door. That 1 fishy turned retired to beryllium 4 suspects lying successful hold to ambush responding officers. Other officers arrived and took the 4 copper thieves into custody. Nova undoubtedly saved lives that day."

Her vocation besides took a flimsy roadworthy bump successful 2019 aft she was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. While TPD gave nary specifics astir the unwellness astatine the time, they did accidental it whitethorn beryllium career-ending.

Despite the diagnosis, the K9 serviceman pushed done and served a small implicit 2 much years since.

Officials accidental during her career, Nova had 697 patrol deployments,158 criminals found-23 apprehensions, 44 pounds of narcotics seized and $320,000 successful cause money.

TPD said Nova plans walk her status hiking with her family, making caller friends and napping connected the couch.