K-9 Apollo

I am 46 years old and have been a police officer in the metro area for approximately 23 years. I began my career as a corrections deputy at the age of 20 in Beltrami County. After that, I worked for my first department for just over 20 years, before transitioning to my current department, where I’ve been for the past two years.
My career has been amazing, rewarding, life-changing, and, at times, traumatic. I’m glad that I’m now in the final stages of my career and can see the light at the end of the tunnel as retirement approaches. Over the years, I’ve held numerous positions in both departments, including FTO, Use of Force instructor, Crisis Negotiations, Drone Operator, DRE, and more. The majority of my career has been spent as a patrol officer, a role I absolutely love. I also spent several years on a drug task force and was a TFO with the DEA, which remains the best time of my career.
Throughout my career, I’ve witnessed many critical incidents and been directly involved in several. For a long time, I believed that what I saw and experienced didn’t affect me and that I didn’t need to talk to anyone or attend debriefs. I was wrong. Over the past few years, I’ve come to realize the impact this job has had on me. In college, I was an extrovert with many friends and hobbies. But over the last 5 to 10 years, I’ve become more reclusive—preferring to stay home, with only a few close friends and no real hobbies.
I was married to my first wife for many years, and we have a 21-year-old daughter who is currently serving on active duty in the Army. As a father, I feel guilty for contributing to her introverted nature—she’s a lot like me and not a fan of being around people. We also adopted a wonderful little girl who has brought so much joy to my life. However, about five years ago, my first marriage ended in divorce. I remarried and now have two incredible daughters, as well as a stepdaughter. Today, I live my life for my girls.
Over the last four years, life has changed drastically for me. I’ve struggled with depression, anxiety, ADHD, and PTSD. I was involved in the Daunte Wright incident, where I was tasked with removing him from the vehicle and providing medical aid. Later that same day, I was on the front lines during the start of the Brooklyn Center riots. In addition, I was attacked by a dog during an incident, which caused significant injuries to my arm. After these events, I sought help from my doctor and began medication to address some of the issues. I’ve also been attending therapy on a continuous basis.
The most recent incident I was involved in was an Officer-Involved Shooting (OIS), which worsened many of the challenges I’ve been facing at home. It’s been a continual struggle, but I reached out to Soldier 6, and the experience has been overwhelmingly positive.
One of the few bright spots in my life has been my dog, Apollo. He has made a huge difference in the short time I’ve had him. We’ve formed a strong bond and enjoy working together on training. Apollo and I are both looking forward to the upcoming training we will receive.