ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A very important member of the St. Charles County Police Department retired after nearly a decade of service in law enforcement.
Bonnie, a 10-year-old Labrador Retriever who has served as a K-9 for the St. Charles County Police since 2016, retired this week, the department announced on Thursday
Bonnie began her career with a initial five week training in Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) with the Connecticut State Police K-9 Unit.
Upon completion of her training in April 2016, Bonnie would become the first certified ESD K-9 in the state of Missouri, pairing up with Officer Brigid Oldani, a 34-year law enforcement veteran who has been partnered with Bonnie during her entire tenure with the department.
During their time together, Oldani and Bonnie conducted approximately 300 searches for local, state and federal law enforcement and also attended over 400 community events.
During her time with the department, while conducting a K-9 sniff at a residential search warrant, Bonnie helped locate evidence that contained child sexual images of a minor female at a residence where the minor was at the residence at the time of the search.
Bonnie discovering the evidence helped the department positively identify the minor while on scene, conduct a forensic interview with her immediately and saved the minor from having to testify in court in the future.
The department honored Bonnie with a retirement ceremony on Friday, Sept. 20 at the St. Charles County Police Department. Bonnie's accomplishments were acknowledged and she received a basket of treats and gifts from local pet supporters.
After her retirement, Bonnie will remain under care and custody of Oldani. Meanwhile, Oldani has selected a new K-9 partner named Chili, who will help her as a therapy dog at Becky David Elementary School, where Oldani is a school resource officer.