Sammamish police introduce first city K‑9, highlight training and community teams

The Sammamish Police Department introduced Falco, its first city-assigned police canine, on Oct. 21 and told the City Council the dog will expand the department's capabilities for finding suspects and evidence, and for public engagement.

Assistant Chief Derek Jones, speaking for Chief Leissett and the department, said Falco is a 2‑year‑old German shepherd and will be handled by Deputy Lee Wunderlich. "Our dog is handled by Deputy Lee Wunderlich. Dog's name is Falco. He's a 2‑year‑old German Shepherd from the Slovak Republic," Jones said during the presentation.

The department said Falco will be used primarily as a generalist patrol team trained to locate human scent on evidence or suspects, and secondarily to apprehend when justified. Eric Gagnon, sergeant of the King County Sheriff's Office K‑9 unit, described the unit's certification and deployment standards, noting multi‑layer oversight and training requirements. "Initially, when we purchase a dog, they have to go through 400 hours of training, then they have to be certified through the Criminal Justice Training Commission," Gagnon said, adding that teams must recertify monthly and can be decertified if training requirements are not met.

Gagnon emphasized deployment controls. Canines, he said, may be deployed for felonies and specified misdemeanors, and handlers must document probable cause and consider Graham factors (severity of the crime, immediate threat, and suspect conduct) before release. He also highlighted unit statistics: in King County the unit logged 477 apprehensions over five years and used canine force 30 times, producing a bite ratio well under the 20% threshold cited in federal case law. "Out of 477 apprehensions, we only used canine force 30 times in 5 years," Gagnon said, noting his unit's bite ratio was about 6.59% compared with a national benchmark of 20%.

Council members asked about handler training and off‑duty care. Jones and Gagnon said handlers live with the dogs, handle ongoing training, and receive additional tactical training beyond the state's certification. "He goes home with Lee. They're best friends. ... At the end of Falco's work life, which is estimated at about 8 years, Falco will be retired to Lee's house," Gagnon said.

The department said K‑9 vehicles and equipment include specially outfitted canine packages, temperature control systems, flotation vests and ballistic gear. Jones noted the department sources dogs from European breeders and described the reasons for breed selection and performance standards.

The police presentation included additional public‑safety highlights: Detective Nate Grier summarized community engagement work (disaster preparedness fairs, fraud prevention outreach for older adults, the community police academy and Explorer program) and described recent marine familiarization training that improved response capacity on Lake Sammamish. Grier, who has led the community engagement unit, was recognized for nine years of service with Sammamish and said he is transferring to a regional transit security assignment; the department presented him a plaque.

Jones framed the combined presentations as both capability and community investments: a K‑9 team to assist patrol and search operations, ongoing county oversight and training to constrain use of force, and community programming and marine familiarization to improve response times and public outreach. Council members praised the presentations and asked staff to provide follow‑up materials on deployment policy and anticipated costs.

The department requested no formal action that evening; council members asked for additional information about how the K‑9 team will be deployed under county agreements and for documentation of certification and oversight standards.