EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) -With sadness, the Eau Claire Police Department is sharing the news of the passing of retired Eau Claire Police Department K9, Duke.

In a social media post in Duke’s honor, the ECPD said that Duke served with the ECPD from 2011 until he retired in 2019.

“Duke earned the trust, respect, and admiration of all those he worked with and served,” the post said. “He made Eau Claire a safer place to live by searching for and locating large amounts of illegal narcotics in the Eau Claire community.”

ECPD said that Duke and his handler, Officer Jason Ruppert, were honored as the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce’s Public Servants of the Year in 2019.