FPD K-9 Officer wins 'case of the quarter' award

Photo by: Fargo Police Department - Facebook
Photo by: Fargo Police Department - Facebook

(Fargo, ND) -- A special officer and man's best friend are getting an award for great work inside the Fargo Police Department.

FPD says K-9 Officer Cernik and K-9 Uno received the "Case of the Quarter" award from the National Police Canine Association, a national organization that certifies FPD's canine teams.

But why? The award comes after a response early in the morning on May 4th, when Fargo Police received a call for a burglary in DowntowFargo. An employee reported seeing an unidentified individual on security cameras inside the building after the business had closed for the night. Officers utilized the downtown camera system and were able to confirm that a suspect was still inside the building. The Shift Commander requested Officer Cernik to deploy K-9 Uno to conduct a search for the suspect.

Officer Cernik, along with other FPD officers, worked behind K-9 Uno as he searched the building. The suspect was found hiding in the basement, inside a storage area. K-9 Uno detained the suspect until officers were able to determined he was not armed. Officer Cernik commanded K-9 Uno to release the suspect, and he was taken into custody.

"This award-winning case for Officer Cernik and K-9 Uno exhibits the FPD core values of Guardianship and Professionalism," said the department in a statement released on social media announcing the award.

Cernik and Uno were officially honored by the department last week.