Ceremony held to honor retiring K9 officer, swear in new police dog
Steve Barrett/For the Observer-Reporter
Greene County Sheriff Marcus Simms, Sgt. Amanda Stauffer and K9 Officer Degan pose with the family of the late Sheriff Brian Tennant during a ceremony held Dec. 23 at the county courthouse to honor Degan’s retirement from active duty.
Steve Barrett/For the Observer-Reporter
Sgt. Amanda Stauffer of the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Marcus Simms join other officers form the department in posing with K9 Officer Jack, a 3-year-old Malinwa that was sworn in to service during a ceremony on Dec. 23 at the county courthouse.
A special ceremony was held on Dec. 23 at the Greene County Courthouse to recognize the retirement of one law enforcement officer and commemorate the official swearing in of another.
What made the ceremony so unusual is that the two officers each have four legs, long ears and a tail.
A crowd gathered in the courthouse’s Courtroom No. 1 to witness Greene County Sheriff Marcus Simms present K9 Officer Dagen with the Distinguished Service Award for his eight years of service to the county and the sheriff’s office.
K9 Officer Jack, a three-year-old Malinwa, was also sworn in and presented with an official badge.
Degan, a German Shepherd that turns 10 Dec. 26, began his law enforcement career in 2012 with then-Waynesburg Borough Patrolman Brian Tennant, who was elected sheriff in 2014. Degan was the second K9 officer registered in Greene County and became the first K9 officer to be utilized by the sheriff’s office.
During Dagen’s time with Tennant servings as his handler, he was utilized for multiple drug interdiction stops, school searches, numerous demonstrations and searches for escaped prisoners.
In November 2018, Tennant gave Dagen to Sgt. Amanda Stauffer to be better utilized in the sheriff’s office, and Simms said the duo worked tirelessly with trainer Dan Halliday to receive their certification in narcotics detection, patrol and apprehension, and tracking in May 201 and again this past September.
During his time with Stauffer, Dagen was utilized with multiple stops and assisted with searches for missing persons and search warrants. On one occasion, Simms said the K9 officer located a hidden firearm used for a crime and just recently performed a track in an attempt to locate a fleeing felon.
In recognizing Dagen, Simms relieved him of duty, thanked him for his services. He said the K9 officer served the county well.
“(Dagen has) ensured officers’ safety and led the way for our K9 program and many other K9 programs to flourish,” he said. “He will now be enjoying his retirement back with the Tennant family, where I know he will receive a lot of belly rubs.”
Simms presented Jessica Tennant-Medlen, wife of the late Sheriff Tennant, and Stauffer with the Distinguished Service Award on Degan’s behalf.
Stauffer said the ceremony was “bittersweet.”
“(This ceremony) fits the saying of ‘When one door closes, another one opens,’ she said. “It has been an honor bestowed upon me by Sheriff Brian Tennant to continue K9 Degan’s career and to start mine as a handler. I consider myself the lucky one in this partnership … Dagen is smarter than I had ever anticipated, he continued to surprise me with his abilities and in a lot of ways he taught me how to do a lot of aspects of this job and becoming a new K9 handler.
“Degan had a passion for this job and it showed in work and in training,” she continued. “And I say it’s bittersweet because K9 Dagen is no longer my partner in crime and will not be by my side every shift, however, he finally gets to retire with his family and just be a dog. My wish for him is to relax and enjoy those bones he loves so much. I know my fellow deputies will miss giving Dagen those head scratches in the office every day.
Stauffer said she is excited for what the future holds with her new K9 partner.
“He might be little,’ she said, “but believe me, he is mighty.”
After accepting Dagen’s award, Jessica Tennant-Medlen said her family is thankful to Simms for holding this ceremony and allowing them to take part in it.
“We appreciate Sergeant Stauffer for taking Degan on and allowing him to finish out his K9 career with the sheriff’s office,” she said. “We are excited to welcome Degan back home with our family to enjoy his retirement with four boys who are looking forward to it as well. Brian would be thrilled to know Degan is coming home with his family and (would also be) so proud of him and the service he provided over his K9 career.”
Tennant passed away in February 2019 from an inoperable brain tumor and Simms was named interim sheriff following Tennant’s passing.
Simms won a special election in November 2019 to fill the remainder of Tennant’s term, which is set to expire in January 2022.