Police K-9 known for ‘Joker’s Law’ set to retire
CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF) — A police dog made headlines when he underwent surgery in 2021 for life threatening injuries he had suffered.
Joker was shot multiple times while working on a burglary call with his handler, Deputy Eduardo Choate.
“He took a bullet for me, and things didn’t look good that first few weeks. And we didn’t think that he was going to make it. But Joker made a full recovery,” Choate said.
Not only did Joker recover, but he was able to come back and assist on even more cases.
“… on his first day back at work, he was able to do another track for several suspects and apprehended those suspects,” Choate said.
Because of Joker’s impact, there is now a law named in his honor that protects police animals in the line of duty.
It is now considered a felony in Tennessee to kill or assault a police dog or horse. The act is known as “Joker’s Law.”
Cleveland officials say Joker has taken down many criminals and found suspects during his last eight years as a K-9 officer.
“The reason we use dogs, is they’re able to do a whole lot that we can’t. They run faster than us, they can see in the dark, they can smell people from hundreds of yards to a mile away, and when it comes to drugs, narcotics, they can find it when we can’t,” Choate said.
Joker helps the department with more than just criminal investigations.
“And they’re also great for protection and public relations with kids. We go and do classes and demos. So, he’s a great addition to any department both in the PR side or actually on the criminal side. So, it’s been a real blessing having Joker,” Choate said.
His career has staggering statistics. Logging over 650 deployments, Joker has also helped locate missing children and adult tracking cases.
After he was shot, Project K-9 Hero took care of all of Joker’s medical bills. The national nonprofit helps retired police canines and military working dogs with their medical care, food, rehabilitation, and rehoming after their service.
Joker is 237 out of hundreds of dogs across the nation that are involved in the program.
“We just feel that it’s an extreme honor for us as an organization because we have a 177-acre facility in Whitwell, Tennessee. And this particular incident happened pretty close to our organization,” Founder and CEO of Project K-9 Hero Jason Johnson said.
When a police dog retires, it is then the handler’s responsibility to care for them. Project K-9 Hero will take care of Joker’s bills, so it’s not put on his family.
“And while we take care of dogs all across the United States, this one hits particularly hard being so close to home. And we’re just honored to be able to help and give back to the community,” Johnson said.
The Bradley Co. Sheriff Office held a retirement “meet and greet” with Joker and Choate on Wednesday morning. Many members of the Cleveland community came to support and to wish Joker well as he begins the next phase of his life.
