Full Notification

VINELAND — A K-9 of the Vineland Police Department named Clif died Monday morning in the line of duty after being struck by a car on Becker Drive.

Clif, a 5-year-old German Shepherd, was hit by a motor vehicle at approximately 5:50 a.m.

He succumbed to his injuries around 7:00 Monday morning at Linwood Veterinary Hospital.

According to Vineland Police, Clif and his handler, Sgt. William Bontcue, were tracking for a suspect that had been breaking into cars in the area.

Bontcue and his K-9 were returning to their vehicle when a 75-year-old female driver who was traveling to work in Vineland swerved her car around a uniformed officer who was walking on the west-side shoulder of Becker Drive.

The officer attempted to signal the driver with his flashlight, but she disregarded the signal and struck Clif as he and Bontcue were walking on the grass of a front yard on the west side of Becker Drive, police said.

Vineland Police Captain Rudy Beu said the driver was issued motor vehicle summonses for reckless driving and failure to obey a police officer signal.

Clif hailed from the Czech Republic and joined the Vineland Police Department in 2008. He completed three months of training with his handler and graduated from the 34th Basic K-9 Patrol class in Atlantic County in May of that year.

The K-9 had worked with the Patrol Division of the Vineland Police Department since then, tasked with duties including criminal apprehension, building searches, article searches and tracking for suspects or missing persons, Beu said.

Beu said funeral arrangements would be determined by Sgt. Bontcue and information on services was not yet available at noon on Monday.