ST. MARYS — K-9 Officer Nando with the City of St. Marys Police Department officially retired from service at a special ceremony Dec. 20 afternoon at City Hall. Officer Nando began his duties in October of 2016 with his trainer and handler Sgt. Mike Shaffer. The pair averaged 70 to 90 deployments every year for drug searches, tracking and demonstrations. They responded night or day, wherever they were needed. Shaffer commented that, “No matter how tired you are, you go to bed with your phone on.”

Shaffer believes that “Being able to have a dog to help us with the drugs, to be able to secure probable cause to apply for warrants, is pretty huge, and it’s a valuable resource for the guy on the road.”

He noted that Nando was showing signs that it was time for him to retire.

“Nando’s hips are pretty well used. He spent a lot of these years putting in a lot of physical effort, and you can see, in his mind, he still wants to do it, but physically, it’s just not there.”

City of St. Marys Police Chief Tom Nicklas said that a big part of Nando’s duties is doing school checks in Elk, Cameron, Jefferson, and McKean counties. When they started talking about possibly retiring Nando, he asked Shaffer how he was handling that job. Shaffer responded that it takes him a couple of days after he does school searches to recover from it.

Elk County District Attorney Beau Grove was also in attendance, and he spoke briefly about what a valuable help to law enforcement Officer Nando has been throughout his years of service.

“To have a K-9 in our county that’s available 24/7 is invaluable to us,” said Grove.

He gave Shaffer due credit for ensuring that Nando was properly trained and utilized.

“Mike goes above and beyond to make sure that they’re trained and utilized for what they’re paid for. We definitely get the benefit of that bargain, not only in the city, but in other municipalities in the county, as well as outside of our area,” concluded Grove.

St. Marys Area School Police Officer John Lovett said, “We would like to thank Nando and you, Sergeant Shaffer, for keeping our schools safe for eight years. We appreciate that very much. Thank you, Nando, and go Dutch, buddy!”

City of St. Marys Manager Joe Fleming stated that he is very proud of the St. Marys Police Department and feels that having the trained canine unit sets the standard. He credited Sgt. Shaffer for making that expertise available to surrounding counties as well.

Shaffer noted that he “went through eight years with Copper, (the department’s previous K-9 officer), and a year or so with Nando before I had anybody else in the area to train with. It was just me trying to figure it out myself.”

He continued by introducing partners from other departments who have recently added their own K-9 officers, and regularly get together to share ideas and support. In attendance on Friday were Zayne Rhed from DuBois, Dan Rawlings from DuBois, Seth Shepherd from Bradford, and Matt Conrad from Punxsutawney.

Lyle Garner, mayor of the City of St. Marys, then read a proclamation in recognition of Nando’s service to the community.

The proclamation reads as follows:

“Whereas K-9 Nando has served the City of St. Marys for eight years with unparalleled loyalty, courage, and dedication to the safety and well-being of our community; and

“Whereas Nando has been an integral member of the St. Marys Police Department K-9 Unit, contributing significantly to the department’s success in criminal investigations, drug detection, search and rescue operations, and community outreach; and

“Whereas, throughout his distinguished career, Nando has demonstrated exceptional skill, intelligence, and resilience in the face of danger, tirelessly working alongside Officer Shaffer to ensure public safety, apprehend suspects, and protect the lives of law enforcement officers and citizens alike; and

“Whereas K-9 Nando’s commitment to service has earned him the admiration of his fellow officers and the community he swore to protect, becoming a symbol of strength, dedication, and the unbreakable bond between law enforcement and the public; and

“Whereas, after eight years of exemplary service, Nando is retiring, and we celebrate his accomplishments and sacrifices for the City of St. Marys;

“Now, therefore, I, Lyle Garner, Mayor of the City of St. Marys, do hereby extend our deepest gratitude and recognition to K-9 Nando for his outstanding service. We wish him a long and happy retirement filled with love and comfort, and we are proud to honor his legacy of service to our city.”

Garner added that he was happy to be a part of Nando’s retirement ceremony, noting that “He’s definitely an asset to St. Marys.”