Niagara County Sheriff James R. Voutour says the passing of K9 Officer EJ is a big loss for the county and beyond.
On January 19, 2018, Deputy Richard Bull, his handler, discovered EJ unresponsive inside his kennel. Preliminary findings suggest the dog passed away from a medical condition known as gastric torsion of the stomach; however, an autopsy has been scheduled to determine the true cause of death.
EJ was born on September 25, 2015 in Hungary and began his career with the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office in March of 2017. He was purchased in part from many generous community donations to Niagara County Law Enforcement Foundation. “The Community has always been great supporters of our Canine Division as well as the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office,” said Sheriff Voutour.
EJ and his partner, Deputy Richard Bull were New York State certified in criminal apprehension, area searches, building searches, muzzle deployment, tactical high-risk deployment, tracking and advanced narcotics detection.
During their career as a canine team, Deputy Bull and EJ were responsible for several successful tracks, the recovery of numerous pieces of evidence and discovery of illegal narcotics.
They also conducted several demonstrations at various events throughout Niagara County, including Lockport Blue, D.A.R.E., Young Marines and the Niagara County Fair.
Sheriff Voutour states, “While Canine EJ’s tenure with the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office was short, he undoubtedly will be remembered for his hard work, loyal friendship to Deputy Bull and service to Niagara County.”
EJ was named after LCpl. Eric James Orlowski, a United States Marine, fellow Marine and friend of Deputy Bull, who was killed in action on March 22, 2003 during Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq.
My deepest sympathy and prayers to EJ’s partner and family. Thank you for your service, Hero.