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Prescott Valley honors K9 Mac and introduces replacement Arlo
Summary
Prescott Valley Police held a memorial for K9 Mac, a Belgian Malinois who served just over a year and was credited with dozens of drug seizures and arrests; the department introduced a new canine, Arlo, to begin training as Mac’s replacement.
Chief Bob Tyson of the Prescott Valley Police Department opened a community memorial for the department’s canine Mac, praising the dog’s service and thanking local officials, volunteers and partner agencies for their support.
"They put themselves in harm's way before a person," Chief Bob Tyson said, describing the risks police dogs take. Tyson thanked Vice Mayor Zurcher; council members Michael Greer, Kendall Schumacher and Kimberly Lopez; Town Manager Gilbert Davidson; and volunteers and partner agencies who support the canine program.
Sergeant Kevin O'Hagan detailed Mac's short but active service record. "Mac only worked for us for just barely over a year. He was only 2 and a half years old," O'Hagan said, and added that the dog completed 64 narcotics deployments and was credited with 51 total drug seizures involving methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl and other paraphernalia. O'Hagan said those deployments led to 25 arrests.
O'Hagan also said Mac was used 10 times for patrol deployments in which officers located 15 people and made four arrests. He told the gathering that Officer Justin Ellison logged more than 818 hours of training with Mac during the dog's first year, underscoring the time and family commitment behind each patrol canine.
The department acknowledged the Yavapai Emergency Animal Hospital for its care the morning Mac was transported for treatment, and members of the wider statewide canine community were thanked for their outreach after Mac's passing.
O'Hagan announced the department has purchased a replacement canine, named Arlo in honor of Sergeant Rick Lopez; the new dog will enter training before being deployed. Chief Tyson presented Officer Justin Ellison with a flag that Chino Valley police and the Chino Valley Police Foundation provided to honor Mac and closed the event by thanking the community: "Mac was a good boy."
The memorial was ceremonial; no formal votes or departmental actions were taken during the event.
