WAYNE COUNTY — The Richmond and Wayne County community are continuing to find ways to honor fallen K-9 Officer Seara Burton.
The Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce recently posthumously awarded Burton the Emergency Professional of the Year award.
"She came in [to policing] and she was just so happy," Richmond Police Sergeant Ami Miller said during a video tribute for Burton, her stepdaughter. "Her eagerness and her ambition to be a police officer — I'll never forget it. I feel that this career is a calling ... she had the calling."
Burton became the first female K-9 officer in the department's history and served her community from 2018 until she was shot and killed in the line of duty last year.
Her fellow officer Keifer Uphaus described his friend as driven who wanted to push herself and others.
"It meant the world to her. She loved it — I don't know any other way to put it. It was her dream job and it meant a lot to her," Uphaus said.
In December, Uphaus was named the newest Richmond Police Department K-9 handler.
A resolution honoring Burton was also read and presented.
You can watch the full video produced by the Chamber honoring Burton below.
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