ROCK SPRINGS – A beloved K9 officer is retiring from the Rock Springs Police Department and will be honored at Tuesday’s city council meeting. 

The retirement of the K9 officer Max is listed as part of the presentations and proclamations segment of the Rock Springs City Council’s meeting. Also listed is a request from his handler, RSPD Officer Ruslan Kolb, to purchase Max from the city.

According to a letter from RSPD Chief Bill Erspamer to the Council, Max and Kolb have served the city for the past seven years. However, the eight-year-old Max is beginning to show signs of his age and recently lost his front teeth and is moving slower. Sniffing out drugs has become a more strenuous activity for him. The letter states Kolb would assume all care for Max at his personal expense, including providing the dog with access to a veterinarian when needed. Kolb would also not be able to utilize Max in a manner that would allow Kolb to personally gain from him, including using him for drug detection or using him in the course of duty. If the sale is approved, Max would be sold to Kolb for $1.

Max came to the city with a second K9 officer named Fenrir in late 2017, with Max being donated by Brian Beck and his family. Max is a Belgian Malinois that Beck had originally gotten as a companion dog after working with the breed while he was in the Marines. However, Beck’s job began requiring him to travel more after he obtained Max and opted to offer him to the RSPD as he was no longer able to give him the attention he needed. Max was tested and found to be a viable police dog and Beck donated him to the department. 

The Council meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall and is open to the public. The city streams its meetings on its YouTube channel and a full agenda can be found here.