Brooklyn Heights Names First Police K-9 After Fallen Euclid Officer Jacob Derbin

Twenty-eight months after Euclid Police Officer Jacob Derbin was killed in the line of duty, a neighboring department is making sure his name stays in service. Brooklyn Heights Police introduced its first K-9 — an eight-week-old German Shepherd puppy named Jake — in early September, honoring the officer who grew up in the village. The dog is scheduled to be officially sworn in at the Brooklyn Heights Village Council meeting on September 15.

The tribute traces back to Derbin's own family. Dawn Derbin, Jacob's mother, sponsored the purchase of the department's first K-9 puppy and presented the donation as a memorial to her son. "It's like holding a baby," she said. "It's like holding my Jake."

Brooklyn Heights Police Chief Christopher Leahy said the department is "proud to carry on his name and memory through our K-9 program," though he noted Jake has "plenty of growing and training ahead of him."

Officer James Grotenrath will serve as Jake's handler and begin weekly training sessions expected to last one to two years before the dog is fully certified. "It's definitely huge. So I got a standard to live up to," Grotenrath said. "It's definitely an honor to hold his legacy."

Derbin, a Brooklyn Heights native who grew up on Belmont Drive, was ambushed and shot on May 11, 2024, while responding to a domestic violence call on the 300 block of East 211th Street in Euclid. He had checked the backyard during the call when the suspect, Deshawn Vaughn, opened fire and fled. Derbin was transported to University Hospitals, where he died from his injuries. Vaughn was found the next day after a standoff in Shaker Heights and later died by self-inflicted gunshot wound.

His death sent a shockwave well beyond Euclid, and in the twenty-eight months since, the tributes have kept coming — at home and across the region.

In Euclid, the department received a K-9 named Chinook in June 2025, donated by the Veterans & First Responders Foundation at no cost to the city. The name honored Derbin's service in the U.S. Army National Guard, where he worked on Chinook helicopters. Chinook, a Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd mix trained at Excel K-9 Services in Hiram, is handled by Euclid Police Officer Jeremy Puszakowski. On the one-year anniversary of Derbin's death in May 2025, Euclid Police lowered the flag to half-staff and maintained the FOP garden tribute with memorial benches and wreaths.

Statewide recognition followed. Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation in June 2026 designating a portion of Interstate 480 in Cuyahoga County — between Lancaster Road/Drive and Interstate 77 — as the Officer Jacob J. Derbin Memorial Highway, with signs installed near his childhood home. Derbin was honored at the Ohio Peace Officers Memorial Ceremony on May 8, 2025, during Police Memorial Week, and his name was added to the Greater Cleveland Peace Officers Memorial wall. In Brooklyn Heights, Belmont Drive was ceremonially renamed Officer Jacob Derbin Memorial Way, though Belmont Drive remains the official street name.

Now, with Jake set to be sworn in September 15, Derbin's name returns to active duty in the village where he grew up — carried forward not on a sign or a wall, but on a badge.