On Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, West Fargo Police Department’s K-9 ToSti passed away unexpectedly due to an unforeseen medical emergency while off duty.
K-9 ToSti was a 7-year-old Dutch Shepherd from Holland. K-9 ToSti joined the West Fargo Police Department in November 2015 and was paired with handler Officer Ben Orr. K-9 ToSti was deployed over 800 times for tasks including narcotic detection, suspect tracking, building searches and article recovery.
“K-9 ToSti was a loyal companion and dedicated his life to ensure the safety of his handler, fellow officers and the residents of West Fargo,” said Chief Denis Otterness. “He was a valuable member of our department and will be greatly missed.”
The public is invited to line the south side of 4th Ave. E., in front of West Fargo City Hall (800 4th Ave. E.), for the procession for K-9 ToSti 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 28. The procession route will start heading west on Main Ave. from 45th St., turn south on 3rd St. E., and then head east on 4th Ave. E. The procession will end at the West Fargo Police Department.
K-9 ToSti has been deployed to support the West Fargo Police Department, Fargo Police Department, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Moorhead Police Department, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Red River Valley SWAT, North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations, North Dakota Highway Patrol, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The department’s thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Orr and his family for the loss of a very valuable member of the K-9 Unit and police department family.
