K9 Maverick. Photo courtesy: East Wenatchee Police.
The Chelan and Wenatchee Valleys will gain the benefit of a specially trained K9 taught to sniff out illegal narcotics. East Wenatchee Police placed K9 Maverick and handler, Officer Jordan Conley, on patrol Monday night.
Police Chief Rick Johnson says Maverick was brought onto the force with a change in laws regarding the illegal use of fentanyl.
"We had to reclassify it in order for it to be able to be (a drug with) an odor that dogs can be certified to detect," said Chief Johnson. "Fentanyl is not something that street K9 dogs had previously been able to be certified to detect, and fentanyl is probably the most common drug that are patrol officers are encountering. In Chelan and Douglas counties, we had one overdose death every 12 days between those two counties last year."
Chief Johnson says because of the fentanyl crisis experienced here, finding a K9 certified in identifying all narcotics; fentanyl plus methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin was a good addition to the department.
"We want to be a good partner and we also want to raise funds in the region, not just with our East Wenatchee city residents, so the plan is to make Maverick available to other agencies in the valley," the chief added. "That's something that historically has always been done with K9s at all the departments. I know that Chelan county has a narcotic detection dog and a patrol dog as well and they offer those services to the other agencies."
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