Vietnam Vet's $15K Donation Paves Way For K-9 To Join Blaine PD

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - A new member will soon join the Blaine Police Department thanks to a decade-old friendship and a major donation.

Tyrone is the newest member of the the K-9 team. He starts canine school in August.

At a year old, he's still learning the basics. But the Belgium Malanois is training to join Officer Reggie Larson on the job. It was a partnership made possible by Larson's friendship with Vietnam War Veteran Leo Luskey.

"A lot of times I'd be leaving my office at around 8 o'clock and I'd run up and grab a coffee and Reggie was there and we'd sit down and visit and it would get to be, we got to be good friends," said Luskey.

"My dad is a vet as well, and he's able to tell me stories from back at the time that my dad hasn't always been - until recently - wanted to share," said Larson.

Luskey donated $15,000 to pave the way for Tyrone to join the team, and named the K-9 after a family member.

"Helping out someone else and so on has always been something that I always thought was very important," said Luskey.

"He's a Belgium dog from Poland with an Irish name," said Larson.

Tyrone will replace Larson's current K-9 partner, Rex, who has been on the job since 2012.