The City and Gresham Police Department will be unveiling a plaque in honor of police canine, Basco, on Thursday, May 11, at 1:30 p.m. near Northeast Fourth Street and Main Avenue in downtown Gresham.
About Basco
Basco joined Gresham Police in 2012 and passed away in 2021 while on duty due to a medical condition. Basco served as a SWAT canine on the East Metro SWAT team and was also cross-trained in narcotics detection.
"Basco gave almost 10 years of service to his community," said Officer Debler, Basco's handler. "He came to work every day with an intensity and drive to serve. The conditions did not matter, and he worked in sideways rain, the strong bone-chilling east wind, freezing snow, and the blistering heat of the summer.
"He never complained or held back; he gave everything he had on every deployment. Basco was selfless and put himself in harm's way countless times to keep the officers of the Gresham Police Department safe. He loved his job, and he gave everything to it.”
Thanks to a generous community member, Alyson Huntting, a plaque has been donated to honor Basco’s service. The Gresham community is invited out as the plaque is unveiled and Basco is celebrated.
"Basco was a part of family within the canine unit and to lose one of your own is heart wrenching,” said Alyson Huntting. “There is a special bond between a handler and their canine and when Basco passed, it was devastating. To give a plaque to the Gresham Police Department honoring Basco was so worth it!”
