K9 Titus – Little Rock, Arkansas

Died 7/14/15

K9 officer dies in line of duty

On Tuesday, a Little Rock Police Department K9 officer died in the line of duty. Officer Titus was involved in a lengthy foot chase with a suspect who had stolen property from a vehicle he had broken into. Upon locating the suspect, officers attempted to place him under arrest, and he resisted. Titus was released and apprehended the suspect, who was taken into custody. Following the incident, Titus began to exhibit signs of heat-related distress. Titus was rushed to the Briarwood Animal Hospital where he failed to respond to treatment. K9 Officer Titus was a critical member of LRPD for three years, and was assigned to the Downtown Division’s 1500-2300 watch. His efforts led to countless arrests. LRPD released a statement on Thursday saying that Titus was loved by the community and his fellow officers, and will be deeply missed.

Submitted By Jim Cortina

James A. Cortina has been involved with police dogs since 1972 and currently on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Jim has been appointed as Treasurer since its inception in 1991. Jim is one of the charter members of the C.P.W.D.A. organization. Since 1975 he has been a certified professional dog trainer and received his Master Trainer Certification in 1985. During his career he has provided armed K-9 strike crowd control for security agencies in Connecticut and out of state security companies. In conjunction with other members of the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. Board of Directors, he helped to draft Connecticut Statute 53-247(e) "Intentional Injury or Killing of Police K-9" which was passed by the Senate in 1993 and also assisted in implementing the prestigious Daniel Wasson Memorial K-9 Award in 1992. In 1993 he helped coordinate the North American Police Work Dog Association Nationals in New London, Connecticut. He was appointed Training Director for the New London County Work Dog Association from 1985-1987. He performed decoy work for Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc. in police K-9 demonstrations, trained several local police department canines, and coordinated training workshops for out-of-state police departments. He participated in the United States Police K-9 Association Trials in Croton on Hudson, New York in 1985 as a decoy. He is an avid photographer and received photography awards in 1989, 1990, and 1991 and currently takes photographs for the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association Inc.