Groton — Groton Town police officers and K-9 handlers from the region gathered on Friday to commemorate Officer Shawn Lisee's retired partner K-9, Nico, a 13-year-old German Shepherd who was recently euthanized after his health had declined.

In a statement, police said Nico served the department faithfully for seven years from September 2009 to October 2016. Following Nico's retirement, he remained with Lisee's family as a pet.

Nico was a dual-purpose K-9 trained for patrols and narcotics detection. Police said Officer Lisee and Nico worked together on numerous cases in Groton and surrounding communities over the years, including instances where Nico helped police track suspects, find large amounts of drugs or locate missing children.

"His value to the department is well documented and he will be sorely missed by Officer Lisee, his family and the officers who had the good fortune of working alongside this trusted canine," police said in the statement.