2003 Wasson Memorial Award Winners Announced!

Officer Humberto Morales Jr. & K-9 Partner "Niko"

            New London Police Department           

Each year the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. and the Connecticut Police Chief's Association select three K-9 handlers to receive the Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award. The award is given to recognize the Police   K-9 teams in the state that best reflected Officer Wasson's character, dedication and sacrifice.  The Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 award is considered to be the most prestigious honor presented to a Police K-9 team in Connecticut.

The Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award is given in memory of Milford Connecticut Police Officer Daniel Wasson  and his K-9 partner General. On April 12th, 1987 Officer Wasson was shot and killed while conducting a motor   vehicle stop. Daniel Scott Wasson made the supreme sacrifice; it is in his memory that this award is bestowed upon  a K-9 team each year for outstanding service.

The Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award Nomination Committee for the year 2003 consisted of Chief Keith Mello of the Milford Police Department, Chief Joseph Dooley of the Orange Police Department and Chief Michael Imbro of the Stratford Police Department who selected the award recipient and two honorable mention recipients from nominations received throughout our state.

This year the selection committee has unanimously selected Officer Humberto Morales Jr. and his K-9 Partner "Niko", of the New London Police Department, as the recipient of the 2003 Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award. This years honorable mention recipients are: Officer Steven Vesco and his K-9 Partner "Jag" of the Windsor Police Department & Officer Daniel Lane and his K-9 Partner "Blitz" of the Waterford Police Department.

Officer Morales & K-9 “Niko” of New London Police Department were selected for responding to a robbery in progress by three suspects at approximately 1:00a.m. at a local bar. When they arrived the suspects had run into a wooded area where Niko had tracked the suspects and was shot by one of them with a 9 mm which passed completely through him missing all his vital organs, but still continued tracking them.  All three suspects were later apprehended. Niko recovered fully from his wound and faithfully still serves and protects his handler with the New London Police Department.

Officer Morales & K-9 “Niko” will have their names engraved on the Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 plaque, with the previous year's winners. The plaque is proudly displayed in the lobby at the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden.

Acceptance Video #1 (19 mb)          Acceptance Video #2 (40 mb)

First Runner Up

Officer Steven Vesco & K-9 Partner "Jag"

Windsor Police Department

First place runner up was awarded to K-9 Officer Steven Vesco and K-9 “Jag” of the Windsor Police Department.  Their deployment occurred on July 14, 2003 in which they tracked a suspect who robbed a bank at gunpoint and ran out of the bank with a large sum of money. K-9 “Jag” tracked the suspect to a crawl space in an alley where he located the suspect and was struck several times with a foreign object and was transported to a hospital for treatment to his eye and was off duty for several days suffering from a concussion until he recovered.

Second Runner Up

Officer Daniel Lane & K-9 Partner "Blitz"

Waterford Police Department

Second place runner up was awarded to K-9 Officer Daniel Lane and K-9 “Blitz” of the Waterford Police Department.  Their deployment occurred on December 27, 2003 when they tracked a fleeing suspect into a wooded area in Quaker Hill. The track led to several large plastic bags. One of the large garbage bags contained a suitcase containing a decomposed small child. Also under the suitcase a firearm was located.