Sheriff K-9 Unit
Sheriff K-9 Unit
Pictured L-R:
Deputy Gorel & K-9 Vito; (Former) Deputy Wingate & (Former) K-9 Axel; Deputy Felts & K-9 Rizzo; Deputy Matson & K-9 Kali; Deputy Lill & K-9 Efan
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Meet the K9 Division
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Deputy Alicia Matson and K-9 Kali
Deputy Matson graduated from Oley Valley High School in 2005. She obtained a bachelor's degree in criminal justice in 2009 from Alvernia University. While at Alvernia, she was an active member of the Criminal Justice Association and Alpha Phi Sigma, which is the national honor society for Criminal Justice majors. She graduated from the Reading Police Academy in 2008 while attending college. Deputy Matson has been with the Berks County Sheriff's Office since graduating from college. She spent time working in court, warrants, and patrol divisions. Early in 2013, she was selected to become a member of the Berks County Sheriff's Office K-9 Division. She and her K-9 partner, Kali a female Labrador retriever are trained in explosive detection and scent-specific training as used in search and rescue.
Deputy Chris Gorel and K-9 Vito
Deputy Chris Gorel has been with the Sheriff’s Office since 2011. Having served in both the court and patrol divisions, he has spent the last five years with the fugitive warrants division and is a sworn member of the US Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force. A New Jersey native originally, he is a veteran of both the United States Marine Corps and the U.S. Army Reserve, as well as a former correctional officer. In November of 2017, Gorel was selected as a member of the K-9 Division and was paired and trained with his German Shepherd partner, Vito, while at Shallow Creek Kennels in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania. K-9 Vito, from the Czech Republic, specializes in narcotics detection and all areas of patrol work.
Deputy Felts and K-9 Rizzo
Deputy Sarah Felts graduated from Emmaus High School in 2010. She obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice with Paralegal Studies in 2014 from Kutztown University. Deputy Felts has been a Deputy with the Berks County Sheriff’s Office since 2015. She spent time working in the court, booking, and warrants divisions and is a sworn member of the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force. In February 2018, she was selected to become a member of the Berks County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit. She and her K-9 partner, Rizzo, were teamed together during their 6 week training at Shallow Creek Kennels in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania. K-9 Rizzo is a Belgian Malinois who is certified in narcotics detection and all areas of patrol work. This K-9 team is working with the warrants division.
Deputy Michael Lill and K-9 Efan
Deputy Michael Lill has been with the Sheriffs Office since 2017. A Berks county native, Lill served 6 years in the army reserves and is a former correctional officer with
the Berks County Prison. Lill graduated from Reading Area community College in early 2017 with an associates degree in Criminal Justice. After working in the Courts and Central Booking Divisions for 4 years, Lill was selected as a member of the K-9 Division in November of 2021 and was paired and trained with K-9 Efan while at Shallow Creek Kennels will in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania. K-9 Efan, his German shepherd partner specializing in narcotics detection and all areas of patrol work, hails from the Czech Republic.