Solano County Sheriffs Canine Passes Away

SOLANO COUNTY, CA (CBS 13)- The Solano County Sheriffs office has informed CBS 13 that former K9 officer Basco has passed away.  The canine officer died after after a brief bout with an illness.

Bosco joined the Solano County  Sheriffs Office  in May of 2007 along with two other Malinois, a type of Belgian Shepard.  He was partnered to Deputy Sheriff John Swafford.  A sheriffs department spokesperson says  "This crime fighting duo worked together day in and day out protecting the Solano County community for seven years. During that time, Basco apprehended countless felony suspects, as he was an expert tracker. Deputy Swafford and Basco conducted drug detection searches of all types, from traffic stops to large scale narcotics team searches for local, state, and federal teams. Basco wasn't just a crime fighter though; he brought smiles to hundreds of children in our community through canine demonstrations and outreach.

Bosco's responsibilities included obedience, handler protection, open area searching and sent detection with special training in narcotics detection.

Bosco Retired in 2014 and has been living as a family pet at Deputy Swaffords home since that time.