INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana State Police confirmed that former police K9 "Maverick" has retired this week after eight years of service.
The 9-and-a-half-year-old Shepard Malinois mix closed the curtain on a career featuring many different highlights, including being regularly dispatched alongside ISP SWAT teams to assist in multiple building searches and seizing hundreds of pounds worth of narcotics worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Other career highlights involved helping the U.S. Marshals Service as it apprehended violent felons throughout all seven counties of ISP's District 52.
Maverick also made several appearances at various schools and events aimed at raising awareness for ways to keep the community safe. Maverick was awarded with an honorary patch from the Indianapolis Postal Inspectors recognizing him for his brave efforts to keep drugs off the streets.
Maverick has served in ISP's Indianapolis District 52 since 2016.
Maverick's line of work also brought him to Fishers where he formed an integral part of the Fishers Police Department's drug interdiction program and led the program's first significant money seizure, ISP said.
The former K9 also featured on IMPD's Violent Crime Reduction Team where he contributed to the seizure of various narcotics, and assisted officers while conducting vehicle pursuits and high-risk traffic stops.
In total, ISP said Maverick was responsible for obtaining over a thousand pounds worth of illegal narcotics and over $2 million worth of seized currency, hundreds of drug arrests and helped to locate multiple suspects during high-speed pursuits.
Even former Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged Maverick's impressive career when he got a pat on the head during a previous meeting, ISP said.
ISP said Maverick is going to enjoy his retirement as a family pet in his former handler Sgt. Susan Rinschler's home.