El Cerrito Police Dog, King, Dies From Sudden Illness

El Cerrito's popular police dog, , died from a sudden illness, police said in a news release late today, Saturday.

"It is with great sadness that we announce the death of El Cerrito Police K-9 King," said the release prepared by Lt. Paul Keith.

He was El Cerrito's first police dog, having joined the deparment in the fall of 2010.

While off-duty on Friday, King "began showing signs of physical distress," police said. His handler, Officer Joshua Del Prado, took him to a vet's office, where emergency surgery was performed to try to identify what was wrong.

"Once surgery was performed, it became clear that King had suffered a catastrophic and unavoidable internal malady ... which medical care could not repair," the release said.

"King’s condition was not survivable," the statement said. "With his partner and other members of the El Cerrito Police Department by his side, King died." King had to be euthanized around midnight last night, said police Sgt. Lauren Caputo.

Police did not identify the condition that led to his death. Caputo said it was a medical condition not related to anything King ate or any injury.

King, a German shepherd from Germany, became an active member of the police force on Nov. 5, 2010 when he was two years old. He officially received his badge a month later in a .

He and during his time with the department. He also participated in local community events and safety fairs.

"No memorial events are planned at this time," the police department statement said. "We welcome any condolences from our community at the front counter of the Public Safety Building located at 10900 San Pablo Ave. El Cerrito."