Continue Drago’s Legacy: Building the Next Police K9 Team 
 On July 8, 2026, I buried my best friend. After years of serving beside me, I said goodbye to my police K9 partner, Drago. 
 To many people, he was a police dog. To me, he was much more than that. He was my partner, my protector, and a constant presence through some of the most difficult days of my career. We answered calls together, searched for narcotics, stood beside one another during dangerous situations, and returned home together at the end of every shift. Drago cannot be replaced. But the mission he served so faithfully must continue. 
 ⸻ WHERE OUR STORY BEGAN 
 Drago was originally donated to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, where he was assigned to me as my K9 partner. Like many small law enforcement agencies, the Sheriff’s Office recognized the value of a police K9 program but simply didn’t have the financial resources to fully support one. Because of that, much of the responsibility for building and sustaining the program fell to me as his handler. From that day forward, I personally invested in Drago’s food, veterinary care, housing, equipment, certification, training, and every other aspect of his well-being. I never viewed that responsibility as a burden. It was simply part of being his handler. As the years passed, Sheriff Jeremie Wilson watched that partnership grow. He saw the countless hours invested, the sacrifices made, and the bond that had developed between Drago and me. When my time with the Sheriff’s Office came to an end, he transferred ownership of Drago to me. That wasn’t simply a transfer of a dog. It was recognition of a partnership built through dedication, trust, and commitment.  
⸻ THREE YEARS AGO, I WAS HANDED A DOG… TOGETHER, WE BECAME A K9 TEAM. 
 When Drago came into my life, he wasn’t the dependable police K9 that people eventually came to know. Like every dog, he had experiences before we met. Years of inconsistent handling had left him with limited obedience, very little structure, and poor socialization. While he worked well with me on leash, I discovered that when he was off leash or confined in his kennel, he became defensive around children. Those behaviors didn’t define him, but they made it clear that becoming a dependable police K9 would require patience, consistency, and an unwavering commitment to training. For the next three years, we built that partnership together. There were no shortcuts. Every early morning training session. Every late night after work. Every deployment. Every certification. Every success. Every setback. Every mile traveled in a patrol vehicle. Every quiet ride home. Those moments transformed us from handler and dog into a true police K9 team. Through structured training and carefully controlled exposure, Drago learned to remain calm, confident, and responsive around children and in the countless environments a police K9 encounters throughout its career. That training wasn’t intended to make him a family pet. It was done because police K9s regularly work in schools, neighborhoods, parks, homes, and community events where children are present. A professional police K9 must remain disciplined, stable, and under complete handler control no matter the environment. By the end of those three years, the dog that people admired wasn’t simply the dog I had been assigned. He was the partner we had become together. Drago taught me something I will carry with me for the rest of my career. Great police K9s aren’t simply purchased. They are developed. That lesson is the foundation of this campaign. 
 ⸻ A PROMISE KEPT 
 When Drago became mine, I made him a promise. Whether he wore a police vest or spent his retirement sleeping on my living room floor, I would care for him for the rest of his life. That promise didn’t end when his career ended. It ended only when I laid him to rest. Keeping that promise wasn’t extraordinary. It was simply what he deserved. I will make that same promise to the next K9 who earns the privilege of serving beside me. 
 ⸻ WHY I’M ASKING FOR HELP 
 Asking for help has never been easy for me. Throughout Drago’s career, I quietly accepted the responsibility of building and sustaining our K9 team because I believed that commitment came with wearing the badge. Today, I serve as a Sergeant with the Comanche Police Department in Oklahoma. My wife and I are raising five children on a single law enforcement income of approximately $42,000 per year before taxes. Like many families, every dollar we earn is carefully budgeted to provide for our children and meet our responsibilities. I remain fully committed to personally providing the lifelong care, food, veterinary treatment, equipment, and ongoing training for my next police K9—just as I did with Drago. However, the initial investment required to build another professional police K9 team is simply beyond what our family can responsibly absorb alone. That is why I am asking for your help. Not because I expect someone else to carry the responsibility. But because I am inviting people who believe in public safety to become part of building something that will protect our community for years to come.  
⸻ BUILDING THE NEXT POLICE K9 TEAM  
I am not looking to purchase a finished police dog. My goal is to carefully select a young working-line German Shepherd with the health, genetics, temperament, and drives required for law enforcement and develop every aspect of that dog’s training from the beginning. Starting with the right prospect allows me to build the obedience, environmental stability, confidence, detection skills, and partnership that define an exceptional police K9 team. As a personally owned police K9, this dog will live with me throughout its career. I will once again accept full responsibility for its lifelong care, training, equipment, veterinary needs, and retirement. From the earliest stages of development, the dog will receive structured environmental conditioning—including appropriate exposure to children—not to become a family pet, but to become a police K9 capable of safely transitioning from a high-risk deployment to a school demonstration, neighborhood event, residential call, or community outreach event while remaining disciplined, stable, and under complete handler control. That level of reliability is earned through years of careful selection, professional training, and unwavering commitment. 
 ⸻ HOW YOUR SUPPORT WILL HELP 
 Every dollar donated goes directly toward building the next police K9 team. Estimated Project Costs  • Working-Line German Shepherd Prospect - $12,000  • Veterinary Care, Health Screening & Initial Medical Expenses - $4,500  • Professional Patrol/Narcotics Training & Certification - $14,000  • Duty Equipment, Kennel, Vehicle Equipment & Safety Gear - $5,000  • First-Year Food, Preventative Care & Supplies - $2,500  Total Project Goal: $38,000 
 If this campaign exceeds its goal, every additional dollar will remain dedicated to the K9’s ongoing training, certification, veterinary care, equipment replacement, and operational needs throughout its working career. 
 ⸻ A COMMITMENT TO STEWARDSHIP  
Because I support a family of seven on a single law enforcement income, I have intentionally chosen not to spend donated funds on merchandise, donor gifts, or expensive recognition items. Every possible dollar will go directly toward building and sustaining this police K9 team. The greatest recognition I can offer is knowing that you helped place another professionally trained police K9 on the streets to protect officers and serve our community. 
 ⸻ ONE WATCH HAS ENDED… 
 Drago cannot be replaced. No police K9 ever truly can. But the mission he served so faithfully must continue. With your support, another young dog will have the opportunity to become someone’s partner. Another community will be protected. Another legacy will begin. One watch has ended. With your help… Another can begin. Thank you for believing in this mission, for honoring Drago’s legacy, and for helping me build the next police K9 team. 
 Respectfully, Sgt. Edgar Stevenson #205 Comanche Police Department  “A police K9 will give everything it has for its handler. A handler owes that dog nothing less in return. That was my promise to Drago, and it will be my promise to the next K9 that earns the privilege of serving beside me.”