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Tustin honors police K9 in retirement ceremony; handler Sergeant Leah Barrett to keep dog
Summary
The Tustin City Council recognized the retirement of a longtime police K9 and its handler. Chief Toulouse highlighted the K9 team's deployments and reduced use-of-force outcomes; Sergeant Leah Barrett accepted ownership of the dog.
The Tustin City Council recognized the retirement of a K9 used by the Tustin Police Department and honored the handler, Sergeant Leah Barrett.
Chief Toulouse described the dog—identified in remarks as Azuri, a 9-year-old Belgian Malinois—and outlined the team's operational record, including hundreds of deployments, multiple suspect apprehensions, SWAT and special response deployments, and firearms searches. The chief told the council that the service life for police dogs is typically five to seven years and that this K9 had reached the end of service. “K9 Missouri has reached the end of service life,” he said, and the department requested the handler take the dog home.
Sergeant Leah Barrett thanked the mayor and council and said she felt honored to keep the dog as part of her family. “She’s been a great dog for me,” Barrett said, describing the bond between handler and K9 and noting the dog’s role in officer safety and community outreach. Chief Toulouse and Barrett acknowledged partner agencies from Orange and Huntington Beach who joined the recognition.
The council offered brief remarks of appreciation for the K9 team and its contributions to officer safety and community events. The recognition was ceremonial and no formal council action was required.
