Joplin Police Department K9 retires

(From the Joplin Police Department)

Today marks the final shift for Joplin Police Department K9 Ben, who is officially retiring from service. 

K9 Ben started on the streets March of 2018 with his current handler, Officer Adam Brannin. K9 Ben has located several pounds of meth and marijuana, while also locating other drugs. Ben was best known around the police department for his apprehensions. Ben had 21 working apprehensions stemming from K9 tracks, building searches, a burglary in progress, and attic deployments on SWAT and patrol operations (all Joplin PD Police Dogs are trained on attic deployments). K9 Ben has also located numerous suspects where they complied and an arrest was made without incident.

 
Officer Brannin, while reflecting on his years working with Ben, is most proud of his apprehension of a dangerous suspect hiding in an attic. Both K9 Ben and Officer Brannin fell through the ceiling but Ben apprehended the suspect anyway. Officer Brannin stated, “Not many dogs get the opportunity to do that, and some just won’t. Ben never hesitated in anything I asked of him.”

 
K9 Ben is older now, and the marijuana law change in December 2022 ended his narcotics career, and now his apprehension/tracking career is also coming to a close. Ben will live with Officer Brannin and his family in retirement, and Officer Brannin will start training his next K9 tomorrow. 

The Joplin Police Department will formally introduce the new K9 to the community in the near future.

Please join us as we congratulate K9 Ben on his successful policing career. He and Officer Adam Brannin were a tremendous team and we are proud of the work they were able to accomplish during their time together. Job well done!