TUMWATER, Wash. – The Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) will deploy five new K9s and their handlers on Thu., April 11 to agencies across the state, including the Yakima County Department of Corrections.
K9 Luka and his handler, Corrections Officer David Zanotelli, will join the Yakima County Department of Corrections following a Thursday graduation ceremony in Tumwater.
The dogs have been trained to find cocaine, heroin and meth. However, due to the fentanyl crisis, training for finding fentanyl has been needed which led to the DOC certifying its first fentanyl-trained dogs in 2023.
Because of this, three of the five dogs are certified to find fentanyl.
The other dogs, Harley, Timber, Raiden and Rozzo, will work with their handlers for the DOC, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office and the Airway Heights Police Department.
“Our population has a much higher rate of substance abuse issues than the general public,” said DOC Secretary Cheryl Strange. “Drugs will always be an issue in prisons, but we are taking every step necessary to reduce the likelihood that they are introduced in the first place.”
