Police dogs that were killed in the line of duty across the state will be memorialized at a public ceremony today at Virginia Tech.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on the campus of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.

Twelve dogs have died in the line of duty in Virginia in the past 47 years, including Carsen, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois that worked with the Giles County Sheriff's Office.

Carsen was accidentally shot by an officer from another agency in December as multiple agencies investigated a reported break-in at a church.

About 100 officers along with their dogs are expected to attend the ceremony. Attorney General Bill Mims and Virginia Tech President Charles Steger are scheduled to speak.

The ceremony will include the presentation of a life-sized bronze sculpture of a German shepherd created by Blacksburg artist Larry Bechtel, who also created the "Officer Down" statue in front of the Roanoke City Police Department.

-- Shawna Morrison