The Lincoln City Police Department (LCPD) is proud to provide an extraordinary service to our community through the implementation of two K9 officers in our department. These K9s are "tracking" and apprehension dogs used to locate suspects who have run from the scene of a crime, who are hiding from law enforcement either inside buildings or outdoors, and to assist officers in apprehending dangerous suspects. With their keen senses, these highly-trained dogs can swiftly locate hiding suspects and be effective in dark conditions. They have the ability to operate where human officers cannot or where officers’ personal safety would beat substantial risk.

Currently, LCPD has two Patrol K9s—Nato and Nix.

K9 Nato is a male German Shepard who came to LCPD in 2020 and was purchased with fundsraised from the generosity of community contributions. Nato was born and raised in Wardenburg, Germany, where he also received IPO training, which is a popular dog sport in Germany where dogs are tested for their skills in tracking, obedience and protection. His handler is Officer Jarett Villafane.

K9 Nix is a female Belgian Malinoi who began her service as part of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. She was gifted to LCPD from the Sheriff’s Office when her K9 handler retired. Her current handler is Senior Officer Cody Snidow.

A great hit with both children and adults, the K9s regularly appear at community and crime-prevention events to give demonstrations and interact with our community members. The contributions of K9s and their handlers to the department and community have been exhibited in many ways since the inception of this program. In addition to their patrol duties, the officers and their K9 partners participate in demonstrations for our public schools, Citizens Academy, National Night Out, and Touch-A-Truck.

If you would like to donate to our K9 fund, you can send a check or money order to:

Lincoln City Police Department
% K9 Fund
1503 SE East Devils Lake Road
Lincoln City, OR 97367

K9 Nix

K9 Nato