Parker police reunite family with missing stuffed K-9 dog

Parker police reunited a local family with a missing honorary stuffed K-9 dog, turning a small household loss into a public example of how the department tries to stay connected to residents.

The return may have been lighthearted, but it fit a larger pattern in Parker. The department says its K-9 teams help with apprehending suspects, locating illegal drugs and finding missing persons, and that the dogs can search faster and more accurately than people alone. Parker police cites studies, including work from Lansing, Michigan, to support that claim.

The department’s current K-9 teams include Officer Casey Cashman with K-9 Harry and Officer Clinton Smith with K-9 Medo. Cashman and Harry were certified as a dual-purpose dog team in June 2024, while Smith and Medo became partners in March 2024 and are certified as a dual-purpose patrol and narcotic detection team.

That public-facing work sits alongside a much larger operation. Parker police says it serves more than 64,000 residents daily and employs 144 people. It also runs community programs meant to strengthen daily contact with residents, including Coffee with a Cop, National Night Out, Shop with a Cop, Police Explorers and ride-alongs.

The department’s Community Services and Animal Services staff also routinely handle missing pets and other animal-related calls. In a town where even a stuffed police dog can matter to a family, that kind of responsiveness becomes part of the department’s image as much as its patrol work does.

Parker police has also used stuffed K-9 dogs as a fundraiser before. In March 2024, COPPS, or Citizens Offering Parker Police Support, sold a limited number of Parker Police K-9 stuffed dogs for $25 to help pay for K-9 Rico’s emergency surgery, showing how the dogs can become a bridge between public safety, community support and neighborhood fundraising.

The Parker Police Department is based at 18600 E. Lincoln Meadows Pkwy. in Parker, and its K-9 program is one more way the agency tries to build familiarity in a town that continues to grow across Douglas County.