A K-9 officer from the Mesquite Police Department who died in the line of duty was honored Friday, April 30, 2021 by police departments up and down the I-45 corridor.

Officers and K-9s from multiple police departments gathered to honor Kozmo, who was brought back to the Mesquite Police Department from Texas A&M via police escort.

Seeking a comforting pat and a smile from Fairfield Mayor Kenneth Hughes and City Secretary Misty Richardson is a Texas A&M University K9 with handler, University Police Officer Clemens, who assited in transferring the body of Mesquite Police K9, Kozmo, to his fellow officers during a solemn ceremony held in Fairfield on Friday, April 30, 2021.

Members of the University Police Department and Mesquite Police Department met in Fairfield around 10:00 a.m. Friday morning for a short ceremony before completely the journey to the North Texas around 12 p.m.

“Our department was honored that Mesquite PD reached out to us wanting to meet here in our city,” said Fairfield Sgt. Albert Gallegos. “It was a true honor to be a part of the escort to take Kozmo home.”

Kozmo was escorted by honor guard and placed in rest inside the police building until his memorial service.

Mesquite Police K9 Officer Kozmo, Badge # 1191, began his career with the Mesquite Police Department in March of 2017.  During his four-year career with MPD, K9 Kozmo and his human partner (and best friend), Officer Jason Crawford, assisted with the locating of over 200 criminal suspects and the seizure of nearly 200 lbs. of illegal narcotics.

K9 Kozmo was the best of the best.  He was a loyal partner to his handler and a dedicated servant to our community.  K9 Kozmo excelled in all aspects of police canine work; however, he and Officer Crawford REALLY enjoyed tracking and locating felony suspects who had escaped capture.

K9 Kozmo was killed in the line of duty on April 26, 2021 while valiantly serving our community.  While we mourn the loss of our family member, we appreciate his sacrifice and know that his service has made Mesquite a safer place to live and work.

We are extremely grateful for the outpouring of support from our community during this difficult time.  All donations received will go directly to our K9 Unit and will be used to purchase equipment and training for our K9 teams. Donate at www.cityofmesquite.com/1677/Donations.

Rest in Peace Kozmo – you will be missed, but never forgotten.

(Source: City of Mesquite)