K9 Casper and Corporal Marsden Receive K9 Valor Award

January 28, 2020

The K9s of Valor Foundation has awarded K9 Casper and Corporal Marsden with a K9s of VALOR Award which includes a $1,000 grant due to their courageous acts on December 31, 2019.

Cpl. Marsden and K9 Casper were presented the award and a donation of $1,000.00 from K9s of Valor for the K-9 unit to purchase life saving equipment and supplies that they need.

As you may be aware, Cpl Marsden and K9 Casper are responsible for the apprehension of the man wanted for the murder of Deputy Chris Dickerson.

Deputy Dickerson was shot and killed in the early morning hours of December 31, 2019 while conducting a traffic stop in Texas. After committing this heinous crime, the suspect fled and crossed state lines, entering Shreveport.

After getting information for officers to be on the lookout, Cpl Marsden and K9 Casper went to a spot on the highway where he knew the subject would have to be traveling on. Within minutes, Cpl Marsden spotted the suspect and began to pursue him. The suspect quickly exited the highway and began speeding down side roads. He was soon out of the Corporal's sight. Within seconds the suspect took a sharp turn flipping his vehicle down a hill, over a fence and landing back on the highway.

Cpl Marsden exited his vehicle with K9 Casper and they began down the hill on foot after the suspect. Once the suspect saw the officer and K9 Casper, he ran directly onto the highway. He made it across two lanes of traffic onto a concrete divider, which also had a six foot chain link fence on top of it. He scaled the fence and took off across another two lanes of traffic.

Cpl Marsden and K9 Casper also made it across the first two lanes of the highway and over the concrete barrier and six foot fence. They went across the other lanes of the highway. But, on the other side of the highway, was yet another six foot fence. The suspect jumped over the fence and into a thick swampy brush but K9 Casper and Cpl Marsden were following closely behind.

Now at the edge of the thick swampy brush, Cpl Marsden gave multiple commands for the suspect to surrender or he would release Casper. The suspect failed to comply. K9 Casper and Cpl Marsden went in after him. Within seconds, K9 Casper located the suspect hiding under thick brush and engaged him. K9 Casper held the suspect down until Cpl Marsden could get through the brush to take him into custody.

The bravery, skill and tenacity of Cpl Marsden and K9 Casper is awe inspiring to say the least. They got a killer off the streets before he hurt anyone else and gave Deputy Dickerson's family and department piece of mind knowing the suspect was off the street and would be sent back to Texas to stand trial for the murder of Deputy Chris Dickerson. 

Without hesitation Cpl Marsden and K9 Casper pursued a man wanted for killing a fellow officer. They selflessly ran toward the danger that most would flee. It takes a very special person to face evil in the name of justice and protecting their community.

Valor is defined as strength of mind in regard to danger. A quality which enables a man to encounter danger with firmness, courage and intrepidity. Cpl Marsden found courage not in search of recognition, but rather instinctively. His focus was only on protecting his community and getting a suspect wanted for the murder of a police officer off the streets before he hurt anyone else. And while the term hero is often freely used, the valor demonstrated by Cpl Marsden and K9 Casper that December day is nothing short of heroic.

That selflessness and resolve to do what needed to be done with disregard to their own wellbeing is what exemplifies a hero to us. And I’m sure he will tell us that he was “just doing his job”, but it is exactly that sense of duty and purpose that make Cpl Marsden and K9 Casper heroes. Let them serve as a reminder of what courage and humility look like.

The K9s of Valor Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and keeping police K9 officers safe. K9s of Valor donates life saving equipment, supplies, care packages, and K9 medical care to law enforcement K9s across the country.

www.k9sofvalor.org

Video presentation of the award is below.

Corporal Marsden and K9 Casper