Local K-9 units receive support from memorial foundation

BREMERTON — Local law enforcement deserves a lot of credit for the good they do in the community.

Agencies such as the city police departments and the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office work hard to keep people safe while also generously donating their time for good causes.

On Oct. 22, officers raised more than $5,000 to support the Special Olympics of Washington through the Tip-A-Cop Fundraiser at Red Robin. On July 9, Bremerton Police officers donned ludicrously high heels to “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes,” and raise awareness for domestic violence with the YWCA.

But on Sept. 10, KCSO and BPD officers, as well as Washington State Patrol, were working hard to support some essential members of their own team: the dogs in the K-9 units, with the help of the Gavin Buchanan Memorial Foundation.

On Friday, Nov. 4, the Gavin Buchanan Memorial Foundation presented KCSO and BPD with a check for $5,780.13 outside the Horse and Cow Pub and Grill, where September’s fundraiser was hosted. According to event coordinator Steve Sipple, while WSP participated in the event, they offered KCSO and BPD to split it between the two of them.

“Gavin Buchanan Foundation is all about supporting police K-9 programs,” KCSO Undersheriff John Gese said. “Any funds we get will go directly and only to the K-9 program. Our K-9 officers play an integral part in our law enforcement mission.”

K-9 officers at the fundraiser included Deputy Joe Hedstrom and his partner Titan; Deputy Aaron Baker and his partner Heiko; BPD Officer Bryan Hall and his partner Ando; and Trooper Toby Haapala and his partner Shadow.

KCSO currently has two German shepherds in their K-9 unit, who are used as tracking dogs.

“These dogs are not … the (snarling) stereotype that people think of,” KCSO public information officer Scott Wilson said. “To them, the track and search and hold feature of their capability … it’s nothing but a game. A big game. They’re not out there to rip somebody’s leg off. That’s not how they’re trained.”

Heiko and Titan, KCSO’s dogs, are used to track fleeing suspects and are “the only tool in our arsenal” that can be recalled once deployed, Wilson said.

“The one great thing about a (K-9 dog), it’s a tool that we can recall,” he said. “In our arsenal of tools to use when in the process of trying to find and apprehend, once we deploy those things, we can’t recall them.”

When an officer is forced to use a Taser or a bullet, those things can’t be recalled once fired.

“But with a dog, (it’s) running toward the offender (and) with a verbal command from the handler, that dog stops,” Wilson said. “With another command, that dog will return to the handler.”

Also, Wilson said their superior sense of smell makes them ideal for tracking suspects. Other agencies, including BPD, also use dogs trained to sniff out narcotics, which they’re able to find much more quickly and efficiently than a human officer.

The money the Gavin Buchanan foundation raised will go solely to supporting the K-9 units. Mostly this will include buying ballistic, bullet-resistant vests for the dogs, which Wilson said are custom-fitted to each individual dog. Other uses for the money include training, adding more dogs to the roster and other needs. (Equipment for K-9 vehicles, such as heat alarms to ensure dogs left in cars don’t suffer heatstroke, is provided by the county, Wilson said.)

“It does actually make an impact,” Gese said. “We get a lot of public support. It’s huge. Working with groups like this is awesome, it means a lot to us.”

The Gavin Buchanan Memorial Foundation started last year, born from the passion a 5-year-old had for police dogs.

“At 5 years of age, Gavin heard about a K-9 officer that had been killed in the line of duty,” the foundation website explains. “He found out that the K-9’s handler had a bulletproof vest, but not the dog. Like most young children, the news made him sad. Unlike most youngsters, he decided to do something about it.

“Gavin decided to donate his own hard-earned money towards the purchase of a bulletproof vest for a police dog. He saved chore money, tooth-fairy money and anything else he could earn to collect his first $100 to donate.”

In 2015, Gavin was appointed the “Cover your K-9 Ambassador” in his California community.

“He didn’t want any K-9 officers to ‘get shot and killed’ in the line of duty,” the website said. “Even at his young age, he understood that the vests protect the dogs and can prevent injury and even death.”

Unfortunately, in September 2015, then-8-year-old Gavin and his family lost their lives.

“In the wake of our sorrow, we launched the Gavin Buchanan Memorial Foundation,” states the website. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose “single purpose is to ensure K-9 officers are safe and protected in the line of duty.”

“Gavin had a passion for law enforcement,” said Brandi Narvaes, chairman of the foundation, which is run by Gavin’s maternal family. “I think we fell in love with it because Gavin fell in love with it. He had an infectious energy about him and his passion for life. Our family has really taken up the cause to make sure that Gavin has a legacy, and now it’s become all of our passion.”

Narvaes said they chose to have this fundraiser in Kitsap County because of a connection to the venue, Horse and Cow, as well as the fact that Gavin’s uncle lives and works in Kitsap.

“I think it’s a great foundation,” Joe Hedstrom, an officer in KCSO’s K-9 unit, said. “It’s so awesome that they carry on their grandson’s memory in this way.”

To learn more about the Gavin Buchanan Memorial Foundation, visit www.gavinmemorialfoundation.com.

Michelle Beahm is a reporter for the Central Kitsap Reporter and Bremerton Patriot. She can be reached at mbeahm@soundpublishing.com.