AUBURN — The city’s newest police force member is a 2-year-old German shepherd named in honor of a local officer who was killed in the line of duty 32 years ago.
Rocky appeared Monday at a City Council meeting, where he took the Law Enforcement Oath of Honor along with his handler, Patrol Officer Tyler Ham.
Rocky is named for the late Rodney “Rocky” Bonney, a Waterford native, who was killed on April 6, 1981, while attempting to save a 15-year-old boy who had fallen into the Androscoggin River from the railroad trestle that connects Lewiston and Auburn. Bonney and the Lewiston boy slipped beneath the strong current and weren’t recovered until the next day.
Bonney’s widow, Cherrie, got to meet her husband’s canine namesake for the first time Monday and “pinned” on his badge.
During the ceremony, Rocky received a new ballistics vest, courtesy of Wayne Robichaud of Oxford and his family, who raise money for vests they donate to K-9 officers across Maine. The vest, complete with Auburn Police Department patches and the dog’s name, will protect Rocky as he works the road with Ham. The Robichauds raise money for the K-9 vests through their website, www.mainek9vests.com, and through donation cans placed in stores across Maine.
The family has made it its mission to ensure that every police dog in the state receives a vest to protect it from harm. This labor of love, which began as a school project by the Robichauds’ oldest daughter in 2009, has become a family affair, thanks to the help of the parents’ two young sons.
Rocky and Officer Ham join K-9 Officer Dutch, who has been working with his handler, Cpl. Kris Bouchard, since 2010. Rocky replaces Inka, who retired in February after six years of service with her handler, Cpl. Scott Corey.
Ham and Rocky graduated recently from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy K-9 Patrol School, an intensive 14-week canine training program.
“These dogs work incredibly hard,” police Chief Phil Crowell said. “They expand our law enforcement capabilities, and they have a lot of heart. We are proud to have Rocky join our team. He is dedicated and very intelligent. With his namesake, he has some very big shoes to fill.”
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- Auburn Police Department’s newest member, Rocky, is shown with his handler, Patrol Officer Tyler Ham, as Cherrie Bonney looks on. She is the widow of Rodney “Rocky” Bonney, an Auburn officer killed in the line of duty in 1981. The German shepherd was named in his honor.
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- Auburn Police Officer Tyler Ham demonstrates Rocky’s obedience skills in Vassalboro on Friday.
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