Chelan County K9 Unit awarded Gesa Community Foundation Grant
information released
File photo provided by Wenatchee High School: Deputy Jacob Lewis of the Chelan County Regional Justice Center searches for narcotics with K9 Gambit last year in a locker room at Wenatchee High School. The jail has contracts with several local schools, providing its services as a way to give back to the community that supports the K9 program.
The Chelan County Regional Justice Center’s K9 Unit was recently chosen by the Gesa Community Foundation to receive its Local Heroes Grant Award.
The $15,000 grant award will help cover 2025 operational costs for the narcotics-detecting K9 Unit, which operates on community donations. Operational costs include additional training, equipment replacement and upkeep, general medical care, supplies, and the overall general care and well-being of K9 Gambit.
“I want to thank Gesa’s Local Heroes program and its participating members for this award,” said Corrections Deputy Jacob Lewis, who heads up the K9 program at the county jail. “Our program would not be able to operate without support from the community. With this money, we will be able to continue to be a resource for our community, both in the jail and in the public.”
Gesa’s Local Heroes Grant Program funds organizations that assist local heroes across Washington, including firefighters, healthcare workers, law enforcement, teachers and veterans. This year, 44 organizations received funding. Since 2021, the program has provided more than $1 million to more than 100 organizations across the state.
“Gesa is deeply honored to support the local heroes who make such a lasting impact in our community every year,” said Brandon Allison, assistant vice president of Training, Education and Community Relations at Gesa Credit Union. “The amazing work the Chelan County Regional Justice Center’s K9 Unit does not only helps build a stronger community but also serves as an inspiration to all of us. Gesa is proud to stand alongside these incredible people and remain committed to investing in the communities we call home.”
About the Chelan County Regional Justice Center’s K9 Program: The Chelan County Regional Justice Center’s K9 Unit was established in 2020 to help combat ongoing drug issues within the county jail. At the time, the jail’s K9 Unit was the second one in Washington to be assigned to a county or municipal jail.
Since going into service, the unit has decreased the presence of illicit narcotics by 80 percent to 90 percent within the regional facility. The decrease of illicit narcotics has in turn decreased the number of overdoses in the jail while increasing the overall safety for incarcerated people and correctional deputies.
The Chelan County K9 Unit also has become a model program for other jails in Washington. As of 2024, three additional county jails have started K9 Units with Chelan County’s assistance. The Chelan County K9 Unit also helped develop a state-wide model that safely trains other narcotics K9s to detect fentanyl. The team of Lewis and K9 Gambit is available to contracted area schools to deter and detect illicit drugs on school campuses, provide educational and outreach opportunities, and strengthen positive relationships between students and corrections and law enforcement.
