Media Contact: Kayla Rochon
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: kayla@jgpr.net
BURLINGTON — Chief Thomas P. Browne and the Burlington Police Department regret to inform the community that retired Burlington K-9 Havoc passed away on Wednesday, May 1.
K-9 Havoc was a 15-year-old German Shepherd from Slovakia. He began his career with Burlington Police in 2010 after graduating from the Boston Police Department’s K9 Academy.
Havoc worked alongside K-9 handler Sgt. Joe Papsedero, and assisted in numerous calls throughout Burlington and across the Commonwealth including searching for missing persons, locating evidence, and searching for suspects.
Havoc was nationally certified in patrol tactics and narcotic detection by the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA), the North American Police Work Dog Association (NAPWDA), and the International Police Work Dog Association (IPWDA).
Havoc and Sgt. Papsedero were involved in many high-profile searches, including locating an 82-year-old woman who fell in a swamp in Stoneham in 2015 and assisting in the search for the Boston Marathon bomber alongside SWAT in 2013.
Havoc retired from the Burlington Police Department in 2020. He lived with Sgt. Papsedero and his family.
“Havoc was a beloved member and huge asset to our department and our officers, as he assisted in countless cases and made a home here in Burlington,” said Chief Browne. “On behalf of the Burlington Police Department, we would like to extend our deepest condolences to the Papsedero family. Havoc was a pivotal member of our community, and we will remember him every day.”
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Burlington Police K-9 Havoc with handler Sgt. Joe Papsedero doing one of the many deployments of K-9 Havoc’s 10-year career. (Photo Courtesy Burlington Police Department)
K-9 Havoc served on the Burlington Police Department from 2010 up until his retirement in 2020. (Photo Courtesy Burlington Police)
Burlington MA, Police Department 