The Lane County Sheriff’s Office is proud to introduce K9 Tito, our newest fugitive apprehension canine. Tito is a mix of German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois from Czechoslovakia, giving him a strong work drive and some extra muscle. Tito was imported by Alabama Canine and trained with a U.S. Army Ranger Battalion before he was selected. Tito went through an additional six-week handler class in Oregon, where he excelled in tracking and apprehension work.  K9 Tito’s handler, Deputy Luke Thomas, has worked at the Lane County Sheriff’s Office for 8 years, and has been a K9 handler for 2 years. In 2025, Deputy Thomas and his previous K9 Bruno won first place in the 2024 Springfield Police Department K9 Competition.  Tito’s favorite thing to do is chase a kong around his yard, but he got right to work once signed off to patrol.  On December 16th, Tito was deployed at the Gettings Creek Rest Area to assist Oregon State Police with locating a suspect who eluded in a vehicle at over 100 miles per hour. The suspect was found sitting approximately 100 feet from the car. Tito tracked directly to him, confirming it was the driver, who was arrested for DWS Felony, Attempt to Elude by Vehicle, and other charges.  The following night, Tito responded to the 1800 block of Ferry Street to assist Eugene Police with a burglary suspect who had fled on foot. Tito tracked to a backyard fenced area and located the suspect hiding in a staircase. He was arrested and charged with Burglary in the 1st Degree.  Early Christmas morning, Tito was deployed in Lowell to locate a drunk driver who fled the scene of a crash. When Tito found him hiding in a backyard, the suspect ran until challenged by the K9. The driver gave up and was arrested for DUI, Hit & Run - Property Damage, and Reckless Driving.  K9 Bruno, who recently retired, worked in California as an apprehension and narcotics detection dog before being transferred to Lane County as a “rescue” when the agency he worked for ended their K9 program. Bruno was deployed on 37 calls, and tallied up 15 captures with LCSO.  The Lane County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit is supported by community donations, which funded the purchase of Tito. All donations go directly to the K9 program to supply food, veterinary care, and equipment. Learn more and donate at: https://www.lanecounty.org/government/county_departments/sheriff_s_office/about_us_-_now_and_then/police_services_division/k9_unit