DeSoto law enforcement acquiring K-9 to sniff out child pornography
DeSoto County sheriff’s deputies will soon acquire a dog that can find cleverly hidden electronic child pornography better than 20 officers scrutinizing a 3,000-square-foot house, officials say.
Gathering that evidence by the K-9 should also significantly improve the chances of convictions for certain crimes against children.
The dog’s task is a tough one for humans. Pornography consumers pick a variety of places to hide electronic images, including toilet paper rolls, electrical sockets and hidden compartments.
Deputy Chief
Justin Smith
“That one dog can do the work that 20 investigators may not be able to do on their own,” said Deputy Chief Justin Smith, second-in-command at the Sheriff’s Department. “He’s going to be a force multiplier.”
This super-sniffing dog will be busy. According to Smith, hardly a week goes by that someone isn’t arrested in DeSoto County for a sexual crime against a child. Many of these crimes include electronic images.
“You wouldn’t believe it,” Smith said. “High-functioning family men who are generally upstanding members of society.”
No crime statistics were immediately available to reveal the exact prevalence of these types of crimes, but the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department has a whole division committed to the investigations. The Internet Crimes Against Children unit will soon be set aside in a separate building that includes a place to interview children in a non-law enforcement setting.
The K-9, a Labrador or golden retriever, will be part of the division. It also will double as a comfort dog, providing solace to victims.
This new breed of police pooch joins the ranks of law dogs that can sniff bombs, uncover concealed cocaine and find missing people, living and dead.
Those skills are well documented, but according to national news reports, the first electronics-sniffing dogs went to work only about a decade ago. The one sent to DeSoto County is the first donated by Operation Underground Railroad to a Mississippi agency.
Operation Underground Railroad, which seeks to raise awareness of child sex trafficking and exploitation, works with law enforcement agencies to amplify its own intervention efforts. The county Board of Supervisors recently voted to approve the dog donation, including payment of food, vet visits and continuing education for the K-9 and its handler.
Michael Lee, board president, said he’s all for “every tool that you can get that helps the public and helps these issues with trafficking children.”
One of the dogs provided by Operation Underground Railroad works a car trunk to determine if an electronic device is hidden inside it. (Courtesy Todd Jordan of Jordan Detection K9)
Child pornography consumers are very adept at hiding evidence of their crimes, Smith said. Despite the best efforts of investigators, some electronic images of horrific abuse and exploitation aren’t discovered.
“You can imagine how easy it can be to miss a little SD card in a house,” said Smith, holding one of his index fingers and thumbs an inch apart.
Jessica Palmer, a 20-year veteran who is part of the sheriff’s Internet Crimes Against Children division, learned about Operation Underground Railroad and the K-9 program while in Atlanta attending a conference about the Internet crimes.
“I had no idea these dogs existed,” Palmer said. “I was like, ‘We need this now.’ ”
In her hotel room, she began composing a proposal to her superiors.
Palmer was assigned to be the dog’s handler. She will meet the dog when she goes for training in October. When the K-9 isn’t working, it will be a member of the family and sleep by her bed.
“We know sometimes things are left behind. Sometimes evidence is destroyed,” Palmer said.
With a 95% success rate, the K-9 is going to give deputies and investigators an edge.
“We’re going to be able to find more evidence,” Palmer said. “We’re going to put these guys away.”
Topics
child pornography electronic crimes Deputy Chief Justin Smith DeSoto County Sheriff's DepartmentToni Lepeska
Toni Lepeska is a freelance reporter for The Daily Memphian. The 34-year veteran of newspaper journalism is an award-winning essayist and covers a diversity of topics, always seeking to reveal the human story behind the news. Toni, who grew up in Cayce, Mississippi, is a graduate of the University of Mississippi. To learn more, visit tonilepeska.com
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