Electronic Sniffing Dog Joins Local Sheriff’s Office

On Thursday, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office officially introduced the newest member of their squad. Riley is a one-and-a-half-year-old electronic sniffing dog (ESD) trained for the specific purpose of finding hidden electronic devices that contain illegal photographs and recordings of children.

“Riley is going to be a great tool for us to make sure that those individuals that are going to do terrible things to children know that that is absolutely not going to be tolerated in Hernando County,” said Hernando Sheriff Al Nienhuis.

Before joining the team, Riley underwent a 4 to 6-month training regimen to be properly prepared to sniff for illicit electronics. After being paired with her handler, Detective Kevin Keiper, the duo was then required to complete another 80 hours of training together. Riley has practiced an additional 262 hours since leaving her initial training program.

The talented black labrador had been a part of the crew since August of this year, but Hurricanes Helene and Milton forced a delay in the announcement. She already has seven missions to her name, with 23 different items found.

These storage devices can be as small as a standard SD card and can be hidden inside the most unassuming of objects. At Thursday’s press conference, several devices were shown, including chess pieces and pens.

Included in the various mundane household items were charging bricks and even towel racks, which can double as nefariously hidden cameras. While local authorities can find most illegal materials at crime scenes, they may not be able to locate all of them.

That is where a trained canine comes in. With hyper-developed olfactory senses, an ESD such as Riley is able to sniff out devices due to a specific component that is used in these electronics. Defenders for Children’s Toni Clark called a canine’s nose “a miracle” on Thursday.

The sheriff’s office’s partnership with Clark came about following a chance meeting with her at the Internet Crimes Against Children’s Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Upon speaking with her, Ms. Clark agreed to supply Riley to the sheriff’s office to help protect our local children.

“Riley is a powerful tool that will help law enforcement find solid evidence to help prosecute criminals and save and rescue live victims,” said Clark.

ESDs have even made their mark in high-profile cases as well. When investigators failed to find any illegal materials at Jared Fogle’s residence, a sniffing dog was brought in to confirm. Within 30 minutes, evidence of the former sandwich chain representative’s heinous wrongdoings was discovered.

The individual who trained that particular canine would also go on to mentor Riley before she was passed to Detective Keiper. Riley’s handler noted that while his team never leaves any stone unturned, their black labrador companion “offers that sense of confirmation” that there is nothing left to be found.

“To say that we appreciate [Clark’s] partnership is a huge understatement […] [Detective Keiper] says [Riley] is a great addition to the sheriff’s office,” said Sheriff Nienhuis. “So, thank you.”

Though her main mission will, of course, be related to internet crimes against children, Riley will also be able to assist the sheriff’s office when it comes to any crime related to electronic storage devices in the future.