LAKE STEVENS, Wash. — Cia, Lake Stevens Police Department's canine officer, is unique in local law enforcement in Washington state.
”She’s the only state or local dog that’s certified and trained in the detection of fentanyl,” said Cia’s handler, and partner, Lake Stevens Officer Doug Dreher.
Under current state law, police dogs are only required to be trained to sniff out cocaine, heroin or meth.
Dreher said the city of Lake Stevens decided to get the additional training because of an abundance of fentanyl-related calls.
”I’ve personally revived 3 people in my duty, from everyday drug users to a mom in her living room with her kids around,” said Dreher.
But Cia may not be unique for long.
House Bill 1635 would require fentanyl detection training for all certified police dogs.
The bill passed unanimously out of the House last week.
Bill sponsor Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, R-Goldendale, said she was confident it will get a hearing in the Senate, and is optimistic it will become law.
If it passes, the state’s Criminal Justice Training Commission will be required to develop standards for the training and certification of canine teams to detect fentanyl by Dec. 1.
The state’s Department of Corrections has five dogs trained to locate fentanyl inside state prisons. A sixth is expected to be trained later this year, according to a spokesperson.