'The God Squad' and its 'Firm Grip' on the Chelan County Sheriff's Office

Newly-released employee surveys paint a picture of a deeply divided agency and "a hostile working environment for anyone who doesn't drink the cool-aid or go to Grace City church."

A photo of members of “The God Squad” provided by Grace City Church at that baptism of Justin Kissel, who is featured in this video. Kissel (the man in the horse trough) is a former Wenatchee Police Department officer and now head of security at GCC.

In 2020 the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office sent out a series of surveys to its employees to gauge employee satisfaction. The results are interesting and somewhat concerning, to say the least. The responses paint a picture of a deeply divided law enforcement agency – one where an employee’s church affiliation seems to be very important to the success of one’s career.

The answers to the first prompt, which is “I would recommend CCSO to a friend as a place to work” are illuminating. Thirty-seven “sworn personnel” took the survey and about 30% strongly agreed they would recommend the agency to friends, about 25% agreed, 27% disagreed and about 20% strongly disagreed.

“When I started here, I was extremely proud to work here. Now when people as…