Georgia’s latest weapon in the war on crime is not an advanced camera system, artificial intelligence (AI) or a new advanced drone system. Instead, it is a new skill applied to law enforcement by a time-honored familiar source: police canines. Long known for their keen ability to detect illicit drugs and bombs, and to track fleeing felons, now specially trained police dogs and their police officer partners have developed the ability to sniff out and detect concealed electronic devices.
Known as “electronic detection canines,” the latest one to hit the streets is a black Labrador Retriever named “Billy” who will be introduced to the public this month by the Floyd County Police Department.
As the law enforcement community strives to keep up with criminals who are more tech-savvy and cunning than ever, electronic detection canines represent an important advancement in policing. Officers these days often find themselves dealing with gang members involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking and selling guns stolen by organized car break-in groups. Many gangs have graduated from recruiting and bragging about their activities on social media to covertly storing information about their criminal activities on mobile phones and electronic storage devices not connected to the cloud or internet.
As gangs have grown in sophistication, they have learned if they store or transmit their records on the internet or in cloud applications, their data can be discovered, downloaded and used as evidence by law enforcement. Conversely, to the extent they store their lists of suppliers, contacts and cash payments on removable electronics like cell phones, flash drives, and SD cards, they can control and carry their records with them– sharing them only in the shadows, sort of like spies. Nonetheless, electronic detection canines can now help officers find and seize the electronic storage devices, even if suspects toss them out as they are being pursued on foot or in vehicle chases.
Higher level organized criminals such as drug traffickers, human traffickers, distributers of child pornography, government benefits traffickers, and professional fraud and scam organizations have also modernized their devious criminal methods. They tend to keep detailed records of illegal financial networks, stolen data from the dark web, and troves of pornographic photographs. Many have also learned to hide their records off the internet and on electronic devices. Nevertheless, organized crime investigators, task force agents and detectives can still use search warrants, and now use electronic detection canines to help find the fruits and instrumentalities of organized crime.
This breakthrough is the result of several years of applied research by law enforcement forensic scientists. They have isolated a compound called triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO) that covers the circuit boards in nearly all electronic storage devices ranging from large hard drives to microSD cards to prevent them from overheating. TPPO is the latest version of another compound known as hydroxy cyclohexyl phenyl ketone (HPK), previously found on removable media, such as CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray discs and even floppy disks.
Fortunately, police dogs are very adaptable, and like Billy and his human partner Captain Ojilvia Lom they are being trained and retrained to detect even faint or minute traces of both substances found uniquely in electronic devices.
Why electronic detection canines will be helpful in Georgia is simple. Like other states, the complexity of crime trends in our state has grown exponentially since 2020. From urban terrorists continuing to stalk Atlanta’s Public Safety Training Center to human traffickers plying their disgusting trades in hotels and motels all along our interstate highways, we are dealing with more prolific and sophisticated crime than ever before. We still have defiant sanctuary cities and counties harboring violent international fugitives while drug cartels continue to distribute poisonous Chinese fentanyl to Georgia’s youth. In addition, our senior citizen population remains plagued by cruel white-collar professional scam organizations that con them out of their life savings. In all, law enforcement’s need for more forward-reaching law enforcement tools is greater than ever and electronic detection canines are just such a tool.
The state government is doing its part to upgrade law enforcement by protecting and supporting the Atlanta Public Safety Training center and, commendably, by increasing the number of mandated training hours for new police recruits. Concurrently, the incoming presidential administration is promising to attack the illegal immigration problem in our sanctuary cities and counties. To complete the list of positive initiatives, local law enforcement is doing its part by modernizing with tools like electronic detection canines.
In the spirit of cooperation among law enforcement agencies, the Floyd County Police Department is offering to assist other law enforcement agencies with electronic detection canine services as needed.
In everything we do to fight back troublesome crime trends in Georgia, we should never discount the contributions of our tail-wagging friend, the amazing police canine. The wet nose knows.
The author, a law enforcement veteran, has served as a police chief for both Savannah and Marietta.