Rhinelander K-9 officer to retire

The Rhinelander Police Department is offering the public an opportunity to honor a longtime K-9 officer as he retires from the force.
Odin, a 9-year-old German Shepherd who is dual-purposed certified in both narcotic detection and patrol work, will retire effective May 1, the Rhinelander Police Department has announced. The city will host a retirement ceremony for him at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 1 at City Hall.
“Along with honoring Odin, we will be recognizing Capt. Chad Brown’s dedication to the program and thanking the major donors who made the Rhinelander Police Department K-9 program possible,” the release states.
Born in Holland, Odin has served alongside Brown since September 2018.
Odin’s retirement will leave the department with just one K-9 officer, a Belgian Malinois who was named Jason in honor of Everest Metro officer Jason Weiland who was killed in the line of duty on March 22, 2017. Weiland was killed while responding to a mass shooting in Rothschild. Three other people were killed in the shooting.

Officer Mark Raddatz works with Jason, who also carries Weiland’s badge number, 1274.
According to Rhinelander Police Chief Josh Chiamulera, the department will perate with one K-9 unit.
“Having two K-9 units has been awesome but moving forward I would only have one K-9 team. We would still have Officer Raddatz and Jason. Once Jason retires, which we don’t have any plans to do, we would look to fill that position again.”