K-9 officer Kilo dies at age 11

Kilo, a long-haired German shepherd credited with 20 arrests of felony suspects for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, died May 20, five months after he retired from eight years of active service.

Partnered with Sgt. Joe Duffy, Kilo conducted more than 500 call-for-service deployments and was credited with numerous arrests.

He was the first K-9 officer assigned to the Special Weapons and Tactics team and one of the first Peace Officers Standards and Training-certified patrol dogs deployed in the department.

He went to work for the sheriff's office in 1999.

"At 11 years of age, Kilo passed away on May 20 at his home, surrounded by those who loved him," sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jim Halsey said Tuesday. "Kilo will be greatly missed by his law enforcement family at the Douglas County Sheriff's Office."

Kilo resided with Duffy and his family after his retirement.

Halsey said Kilo helped officers detain convicted bank robber Steven Simmons who was found hiding in a dog crate in November 2005 moments after he robbed the Minden Bank of America branch at gunpoint.

"Kilo tracked and located the suspect who had jumped several backyard fences and was located hiding in a dog house," Halsey recalled.

"During his tenure, Kilo is also credited with tracking and locating numerous suspects that fled on foot from law enforcement officers. Without his tracking ability, these suspects would have gotten away," he said.

Kilo also was cross-trained in drug detection and was credited with the removal of illegal narcotics and paraphernalia from the community throughout his career.

"In addition to his proficiency in searches, tracking, suspect apprehension and drug detection, Kilo was an ambassador for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office," Halsey said.

"Kilo was utilized for his talents not only in Douglas County, but in surrounding counties and law enforcement jurisdictions as well," he said. "Kilo had a reputation throughout area law enforcement agencies as a hard-working, valuable partner."

Patrol service K-9s are specifically trained for handler protection, building searches, open field searches and tracking /apprehension of dangerous subjects, Halsey said.