ROCKLAND — The community paid its final respects to K9 Marek, member of the Rockland Police Department since 2023, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in a solemn ceremony at a Rockland funeral home. Marek retired officially at the end of December 2024. He passed away at home June 16 at home, surrounded by family.

Two legs or four paws, in the eyes of Police Chief Tim Carroll, being acquired by the Rockland Police Dept. is the same as being hired as an employee, and therefore Carroll treated him like any human on the roster. So, when word spread through the station of Marek’s passing, plans quickly formed for a formal sendoff.

A small police procession of Rockland police cruisers, a fire truck, and the fire chief accompanied the urn with Marek’s cremated remains to the funeral home.

At the funeral home, Rockland PD was joined by handler Tim Davis and his family, a number of K9 handlers from around the area, with some cruisers having traveled from Penobscot and Oxford counties, as well as closer to home with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. Also in attendance were Deputies, Game Wardens, Mayor Penny York, at least two more members of City Council, City Manager Tom Luttrell, and the Fire Department. Their collective presence was later noted when Nathan Beam spoke at the lectern inside Burpee, Carpenter and Hutchins Funeral Home. Beam is the Principal Trainer at All Points Maine Police K9, who united Marek with then-deputy Davis in 2019 when Carroll was Sheriff of Knox County.

“I would like to take the time to thank the Rockland Police Dept., the Rockland Fire Dept., and the City of Rockland,” said Beam. “It shows that your police department and City cares about their employees, even the four pawed ones.”

Beam reflected back to that first morning when he put Davis with an unsocial, intimidating German Shepard described as a “huge blockhead, assertive from the get-go.”

“Go open the door like you belong there,” Beam advised Davis.

According to Beam, Marek seemed to fall right in line with his new handler, and as Chaplain Doran Wright described, through the years the two would become a cohesive pair, acting as one functioning unit to the extent of seemingly creating an intertwined identity.

Pastor Jamie Bickel, of South Hope Community Church, said “Where Tim’s sight ended, Marek’s began. He could detect what human senses couldn’t – follow a trail imperceptible to human eyes and sense danger long before it became apparent. His unique nose and acute hearing, as primal instincts -- these were tools that were used for justice and protection of our community.”

Serve and protect, the team did. In five years, Marek was deployed more than 300 times, sniffing out criminals, drugs, lost individuals and evidence.

“It was truly an honor to have police K9 Marek with us at the Rockland Police Department,” said Carroll….“A dog becomes a significant part of anyone fortunate to have one in their life. But, to the dog, you are their whole life. And Tim, you made Marek’s whole life as awesome as it could be.”

Final call for K9 Marek was announced over the scanner. The dispatcher said that Marek fought a good fight, it is time to rest now, and we will miss you.

Bagpipes played while a Police Color Guard presented to the family a flag, urn, collar, and ID tags.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com