Named After a Hero: Billerica Police Department Names Newest K9 In Honor of Fallen Officer Kenneth Collins

BILLERICA — Chief Roy Frost reports that the Billerica Police Department will name its newest K9 after Officer Kenneth Collins, who gave his life in the line of duty in 1969. 

KC, an 11-week-old puppy, was named by Officer Collins’ widow Margie Collins, who passed away at age 95 last week. Margie Collins chose the name KC over a proposed name of Collins. The Collins family met KC at Margie Collins’ funeral last week.

Officer Collins, who had served Billerica Police for 10 years, died as a result of head injuries he suffered while responding to a fight at a local bar on Oct. 7, 1969. He left behind his wife, father, two brothers and five children.

Billerica Police began naming K9s after fallen police officers about three years ago. The first was K9 Cassius, named after fallen Officer Cassius White, who was killed in the line of duty in 1939. K9 Cassius is now 3 years old and certified in tracking. K9 Cassius and Officer Joseph LaMarca will soon train to become certified in evidence recovery as well. 

K9 Cassius and K9 KC will serve alongside K9 Skye, who is now 7 years old. K9 Skye is trained in both tracking and evidence recovery. She was not named after a fallen officer, though the department’s next new K9 will be. 

K9 KC will start training next Spring. She is living with Skye’s handler, Sgt. Rocco Magliozzi, and undergoing basic obedience training. 

Once K9 KC is trained in tracking, she will additionally be trained in either narcotics or explosive ordinance detection, while K9 Cassius will be trained in whichever discipline K9 KC is not. 

Both K9 Cassius and K9 KC were donated as puppies to the Billerica Police Department by Foxbend Labs, of Hillsborough, NH.

All Billerica Police K9s receive training from the Connecticut State Police K9 Unit, and they are all certified through the New England State Police Administrators Conference (NESPAC).

“It was our honor to be able to name KC after Officer Kenneth Collins. This is yet another way in which we seek to keep Officer Collins, and all other fallen officers of the Billerica Police Department, alive in our memories. Margie Collins and her children were very excited as they decided on KC as the name of the future police K9.  It was definitely gratifying to be able to introduce KC to the Collins family last week during Margie Collins funeral services at Sweeney Funeral Home in Billerica,” said Chief Frost. “I want to thank Foxbend Labs for donating another puppy. Foxbend Labs have been a major supporter of the Billerica Police K9 program, and we could not be more grateful.”