Cpl. Derek Queen and ​his trusted canine associate, Dag

Feb. 8. ​The ​Cornelius Police​ Department is honoring Cpl. Derek Queen and ​his trusted canine associate, Dag​. Together they have been recognized by the Cornelius Police Department as Employee of the Quarter ​(October-December 2016) ​​and​ 2016 Officer of the Year. K9 Dag​, Queen’s partner since ​from 2012​ to 2016, had to be put to sleep Oct​.​ 28.

Along with performing their daily duties in Cornelius, Queen and Dag ​assisted Homeland Security at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. During this time, they were directly responsible for the seizure of approximately $597,000 in cash believed to be the proceeds of drug trafficking. Queen and Dag also had one alert resulting in the seizure of approximately $157,000 in cash. In another incident, Queen and Dag found cocaine hidden in a powder milk bag resulting in a 2-year federal sentence for the suspect.

Dag was a vital part of the police department. “Not only was K9 Dag serving this town and department, he had become Cpl. Queen’s trusted partner for over four years. Cpl. Queen’s actions reflect favorably upon himself, this department, and the Town of Cornelius,” the police said in a press release.

Dag’s online memorial says: “We are grateful for K9 Dag’s service to Cornelius Police Department and the community. He will be greatly missed by all.”