Norristown Police Mourn Loss of K9 Nero After Seven Years of Service

K9 Nero arrived in Norristown as the first certified police dog on the force in nearly 12 years. He left it the same way he lived his whole career: as the department's most recognizable face. "It is with a heavy heart that the Norristown Police announce the passing of K9 Officer Nero," the department said on March 22, 2026.

Nero served as a K9 officer from July 15, 2016 to Dec. 14, 2023, retiring at the age of 8 and living to be 11. He and Officer Christopher Narkin graduated from the Penn Vet Working Dog Center after an 18-week training course that started in March 2016. The Penn Vet Working Dog Center draws on more than 75 years of combined K9 and law enforcement experience and is built around a positive reinforcement-based training philosophy. From that program, Nero emerged ready for the streets of Norristown.

The driving force behind Nero's acquisition was Officer Christopher Narkin himself, who lobbied to restore the department's once robust K9 program as a tool for tracking, drug detection, criminal apprehension, and community policing. Narkin's supervisor, then-Deputy Police Chief Richard Clowser, noted that people tend to think K9s are only used for apprehensions or searches, but said, "Nero is geared toward our community relations philosophy." That dual identity, patrol dog and community ambassador, defined Nero's seven-and-a-half-year run.

Nero worked closely with Officer Narkin while on the force and was widely respected and loved not just around the Norristown law enforcement community, but with local agencies he had contact with as well. The funding to purchase Nero and conduct the training came from a $20,000 grant approved by the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office at the end of 2015.

When Nero's active duty ended on Dec. 14, 2023, he did not go far. He remained with the Narkin family after his retirement. The bond that began with shared peanut butter sandwiches and daily three-mile walks during their early training days never broke.

"K9 Officer Nero will be remembered as a loyal and dedicated servant to the community and a trusted companion," Norristown Police said. For the hyperenergetic-dog community, Nero's story is a reminder of what these dogs give at their best: full throttle, every shift, until there is nothing left to give.