TOWSON, MD—The Baltimore County Police Department has lost a furry friend.

K9 Einstein passed with his handler and longtime friend, OFC S. Reiter by his side. Einstein was the department’s oldest bomb dog until his retirement in June and he helped usher in a new era in bomb detection work within the K9 Unit.

Prior to Einstein, the bomb/gun dog program mimicked the narcotics K9 training program. In 2013 and under the leadership of Officer Reiter, the bomb/gun dog program began to change/expand. The training took on a more realistic approach and the number of training aids used went from a few to more than twenty.

Training venues became much more realistic and bomb dogs went from small room searches to large outdoor venues.

Officials say OFC Reiter and K9 Einstein were a driving force behind this change.