Dogs have long been used by law enforcement officials to sniff out contraband like bombs and drugs. A few working canines, however, have recently expanded this list to include the micro SD cards and thumb drives used by child sexual assault material to hide evidence.
In fact, one of these so-called ‘porn dogs,’ a black Labrador named Bear, was pivotal in locating the hidden electronic evidence that brought down former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle.
And now law enforcement officials and dog trainers are looking to get more canines trained to detect these devices so they can better target the peddlers and possessors of cchild sexual assault material
.
The Rise of ‘Porn Dogs’
Bear is reportedly the first dog in the U.S. to be trained to detect electronic storage devices. According to Dennis Clark, CEO of Tactical Detection K9, the institution where Bear received training, teaching a dog to detect the adhesive odor associated with thumb drives and SD cards – an odor that is undetectable via the human senses – typically takes between eight months and one year.
Elaborating on the training process and its outcomes, Clark has explained that:
It took a year for the scientists to isolate the [specific] odor, then we started training the dog…In that way, you can train the dog to detect that by-product, and the dog will ignore other parts of the cell phone or the computer.
This ability to isolate the odors of electronic storage devices has led Clark deem these working dogs as “the K9 of the future.”
Since Bear has been trained and successful in the field, a few other dogs have also been put through this training.
Bear’s trainer, Todd Jordan, prefers referring to Bear and similar electronic-sniffing dogs as “rescue dogs.” As he has explained, the use of these dogs in home searches can make a remarkable difference in quickly locating hidden electronic evidence – including child sexual assault material files, as well as evidence of embezzlement and other white collar crimes.
In fact, while it can take investigators hours (or longer) to search a home for hidden electronic devices, porn dogs like Bear can typically find these devices within five minutes. When they do locate such devices, the dogs are trained to sit by them, after which they receive a treat.
Currently, Jordan is working on training additional K9s in electronic device detection, with the hopes that more law enforcement agencies will have access to – and use – these working dogs in the future.
Tell us what you think about ‘porn dogs’ on our Facebook & Google+ pages.
Contact a Portland Child Sex Abuse Lawyer at the Savage Law Firm Today
If you or your child have been the subject of child sexual assault material – or has been victimized by child sex abuse, contact a Portland child sex abuse lawyer at the Savage Law Firm for help pursuing justice and financial recovery.
At the Savage Law Firm, we understand that no amount of money can ever make up for childhood sexual abuse and exploitation. However, we also know that helping abuse survivors obtain compensation from their abusers and the people who possess images of them can be crucial to helping them obtain:
- A sense of justice
- The financial support they need if they are unable to work due to their psychological issues
- The counseling and other long-term treatments they may need.
Call us at 503-222-0200 (in Portland) or at 206-957-7272 (in Seattle) to find out more about how we can help you. You can also email us using the form on this page. From offices in Portland and Seattle, our lawyers represent clients throughout the U.S.
