Condolences to the West Caln Township Police

The Officers and Members of the Salisbury Township Fire Company #1 wish to extend our condolences to the West Caln Township Police Department, Chief Curt Martinez, and the Martinez family on the loss of Police K-9 Ricky on February 11, 2010. Ricky was an eleven year old German Shepherd who was a longtime partner of West Caln Police Chief Curt A. Martinez. Ricky was euthanized after the discovery of a softball-size tumor in his spleen.\
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On Friday, March 5, a public memorial service was held at the Wagontown Fire Company (Station 35) to remember Ricky and his life of service to Law Enforcement. Police Departments from all over Chester County, as well as departments from as far as Pennsylvania State Police, Lancaster City, Philadelphia City, and Burlington New Jersey were in attendance as well as Fire & EMS providers from Chester and Lancaster Counties, and employees of the Chester County Department of Emergency Services. Also in attendance were several other police K-9’s, whom were lead to the front of the room, and and paid tribute to their fellow K-9.\
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Ricky was trained in bomb detection and patrol, and assisted many police departments in the region.\
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Ricky’s accomplishments included helping protect three presidents (Clinton, Bush, and Obama), assisting at Ground Zero in New York City after 9/11, apprehending numerous criminals, checking hundreds of potential bomb sites, and locating two missing children.\
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The following is a news article from the West Chester Daily Local News:\
“WEST CALN — A longtime police dog that touched the lives of many Chester County officers and residents recently passed away, leaving his owner and community in a state of mourning.\
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“He was a great dog,” said West Caln Police Chief Curt Martinez, the dog’s owner. “He is going to be missed by a lot of people.”\
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Martinez said his German shepherd, Ricky, was sick Wednesday night and hardly slept. On Thursday morning, Martinez brought Ricky to see his veterinarian, Dr. Jerry Godfrey, at the Frazer Animal Hospital.\
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Godfrey checked the dog’s prostate and gave him a shot. Martinez then took Ricky home and went into work at the police department.\
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A few hours later, Martinez received a phone call from a family member, who said the dog was still not well. As a result, Martinez took the dog back to the animal hospital.\
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An X-ray showed that Ricky had a “large softball-sized tumor in his spleen,” said Martinez.\
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Martinez then brought his dog to the emergency room at Veterinary Referral Center, also in Frazer. There, Martinez learned that his dog would live only two to four more months. He decided it would be best for the dog to be euthanized.\
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“I didn’t want him to suffer,” Martinez said. “His quality of life wouldn’t have been good.”\
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Ricky, originally from the Czech Republic, was 11 years old and worked with Martinez since 1999. After being trained at the Philadelphia Police Academy, Ricky accompanied Martinez as an officer for the Coatesville Area School District. Following work with the school district, the K-9 team worked for the East Fallowfield Police Department before working for the West Caln Police Department.\
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“It has been tough for my family,” said Martinez. “Every morning, he’d be ready to go to work with me.”\
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It has also been tough for Martinez’s other dog, a Belgian Malinois named Xena. Martinez said that Ricky and Xena were buddies.\
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“The entire police department and township administration loved him,” said Martinez. “He had to say hi to everyone before we’d start work.”\
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Martinez said Ricky was one of the few bomb-sniffing dogs in the county. “I can’t tell you how many times other police departments called on him to help out,” he said.\
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While flipping through a scrapbook of newspaper articles, Martinez reflected on Ricky’s work over the years.\
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In particular, Ricky assisted with several bomb searches during a period of local terrorism done by a suspect known as the Suburban Bomber. On March 29, 2000, a car explosion — caused by a pipe bomb — was the first of several Phoenixville-area bombings over the course of 20 months.\
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“He was nicknamed ‘Detective Sniffy,'” said Martinez.\
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Over the years, Ricky helped provide security during politicians’ campaign events. He also provided assistance in New York City following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.\
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Martinez had a binder full of letters and certificates of appreciation from other police departments regarding Ricky’s assistance. Martinez said he was grateful for the condolences he has received from the community, including more than 250 Facebook messages and 100 e-mails.\
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Ricky “made a better person out of me and a lot of people,” said Martinez.\
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Peter Mango, a retired East Fallowfield police chief, said he used to watch Ricky on weekends when Martinez had to travel.\
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In recent years, Mango said his dog, a Belgian Malinois named Taz, would train with Ricky. The dogs and their owners did demonstrations together at schools.\
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Mango recalled Ricky’s work during a high-speed pursuit of a man in 2007. The incident began when Frank J. Mariani IV of Newlin attempted to burglarize a South New Street home in Westtown.\
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Mariani led police on a high-speed chase through the central part of the county, fleeing on foot before he was eventually apprehended by authorities along Route 82. Martinez was the first out of his patrol vehicle, and Ricky forced Mariani to the ground.\
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“He was truly a remarkable dog,” said Martinez. “He was a true hero.” “\
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Special Thanks to Jonathan Damon for some of the pictures below!\