Retired Evesham K-9 Moose was honored at council’s July 9 meeting for eight years of service. He will now live with his handler, Joseph Czyzewski.
Evesham council welcomed two new full-time police officers and honored a retiring K-9 at its July 9 meeting.
“These officers were hired to replace two officers that are retiring at the end of the year,” Evesham Police Chief Thomas Reinholt noted. “We were fortunate to get them into the police academy, which started two days ago. They will be graduating around Christmas time.”
Evan Mitchell is a 2021 graduate of Pitman High School who earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Ursinus College in May. He was previously a seasonal Class-II law-enforcement officer in North Wildwood. Marlton native Brandon Fisher graduated from Cherokeee High School in 2017. He has a bachelor’s in law and justice from Rowan University and is also a member of Evesham Fire Rescue.
Council then swore two Class 1 Special Law Enforcement officers (SLEO).
“Those officers perform specific duties related to our community engagement,” Reinholt noted. “As many of you know, a lot of those Class 1 officers go on to be full-time officers with our agency.”
Colby Hayward is from Mullica Hill, and graduated from Clearview High School in 2019. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Rowan University.
Rajvi Shah was born in India and is now a resident of Marlton. She graduated from Triton High School in Runnemede in 2021 and recently achieved a bachelor’s degree in business from Rutgers University.
Council then recognized the recent retirement of K-9 Moose after eight years of service with Evesham police.
“We’re thankful to council for allowing us a few minutes tonight to pay tribute to officer (Joseph) Czyzewski and K-9 Moose,” Reinholt said, referring to the dog’s handler. Mayor Jackie Veasy presented Moose with a certificate of appreciation for loyal service. He will now live with Czyzewski and his family.
“K-9 Moose retired a couple weeks ago,” said Reinholt. “If you follow us on Facebook, you would’ve seen the walkout ceremony we had for him. We treat our K-9s the same way we treat our officers … We give them their proper respect and outgoing that they deserve.”
Since joining the police department in 2017, Moose has participated in 90 narcotic searches and has been responsible for several missing persons finds.
“Having been a K-9 officer myself, I know this is a huge adjustment not only for Moose, but also officer Czyzewski,” Reinholt explained. “The first time you leave without them, they’re looking for you and it’s heartbreaking. But the one thing I learned – and with Czyzewski having children, as I did when my dog retired – is that they become the best babysitter and big brother that you can imagine.”
“Our K-9s really are a gem of our police department,” Mayor Jackie Veasy observed. “So many of the residents look forward to seeing the demos and everything that they do, especially when they accomplish so many of the things (Reinholt) spoke about.
“We really do appreciate our officers who are K-9 handlers, as well as the immense support that we get from our canines … in the department.”
