Dogs serve important roles in law enforcement.

From finding drugs to finding bombs and guns to finding suspects, canine officers — or K-9s, in police parlance — help their human counterparts get the job done.

And, sometimes, the dogs, too, give the ultimate sacrifice.

Bane, a 4-year-old German shepherd with the Michigan State Police-Alpena Post, went missing in Presque Isle County in November 2010. Police later found evidence Bane had been shot shortly after going missing, but couldn’t pull together enough evidence to charge anyone with a crime, The News reported.

Now, Bane will join five other canine State Police troopers who’ve died in the line of duty in being honored with a new memorial at the Michigan State Police Training Academy in Dimondale, near Lansing. The six K-9s have all died in the line of duty since 1998.

We’re glad to see the memorial, which was funded with donations, come to fruition.

Those good dogs deserve the recognition.