I'm doing my job, the dog's just having fun

Officer Keith MacKenzie and Daisy Mae. (Courtesy photo)

A state first-responders foundation has chosen a Rochester Police Officer as its 2015 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.

The award was presented to Officer Keith MacKenzie, a 12-year veteran with the department, by the New Hampshire Police, Fire and EMS Foundation, an organization that assists the state's first responders in times of need.

MacKenzie became the department's K9 handler in 2004, and his work in the K-9 field is considered outstanding, not only to the community, but to others in the region as well.

He is recognized nationwide for his work with K-9s and having K-9s as police partners.

MacKenzie currently handles two dogs, a yellow lab named Phlirt, owned by Rochester, and a bloodhound named Daisy Mae, owned by the Strafford County Sheriff's Department. He retired his first dog, named Fina, a German Shepard, in early 2013 and she is now a member of his family.

MacKenzie is the head narcotics canine trainer with the Working Dog Foundation. As a K-9 instructor he travels annually to Virginia to teach and participate in bloodhound training. Keith works closely with new recruits, instructing them in K-9 tactics, what to look for and when to call for the unit to respond.

MacKenzie is also a member of Rochester's crisis intervention team and the traffic accident reconstruction team.

In 2012 Officer MacKenzie was named as a recipient of the Chief Theodore Blair Memorial Award. In 2014 he was the third recipient of the Willis "Red" Hayes Community Ambassador Award, both prestigious awards in the Rochester Police Department and the City of Rochester.

He has been recognized many times for the distinguished unit action award, a lifesaving award, and a Chief's award.

MacKenzie often travels with Daisy Mae throughout the region and country to help track wanted criminals.

In June 2014 MacKenzie and Daisy Mae traveled to St. Francis, Maine, a small town separated from the Canadian border by the St. John's River, in search of a murder suspect, believed to be armed, and who had been on the run for six days. In just 90 minutes the team located and apprehended the suspect, bringing closure for the victim's family, and relief to the community at large. The track was difficult due to the terrain, as well as that of other searchers having crisscrossed the area for days.

After all the hard work and effort catching the criminal, MacKenzie remarked he was just "doing his job, and the dog is just having fun."

In October 2014 Officer MacKenzie and Daisy Mae traveled to Pennsylvania to help in the manhunt for Eric Frien, who had been on the run for more than a month following the ambush at the Pennsylvania State Police Barracks that left one trooper injured and another dead. Daisy Mae scented and found old tracks of Frien's, but did not locate him prior to having to return to New Hampshire. Frien ended up being captured seven days later.

Officer MacKenzie is also involved with the community outside of work, as a Youth Hockey coach. He also participates annually in the Battle for the Badges hockey game to benefit the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth and takes his dogs to visit with children at the hospital.