Some evidence can be easy to miss. But K9 Cooper is trained to find what investigators may not see, giving the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office a new tool for locating hidden electronic devices during investigations.
Cooper is the newest member of the Sheriff's Office High-Tech Crimes Unit, where he will primarily assist with investigations involving crimes against children, child exploitation and human trafficking. He also will be used in other serious crimes when detectives believe electronic evidence may be hidden.
According to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office in an online post, Cooper can detect a chemical compound found in electronic components. That allows him to locate electronics that are intentionally hidden, submerged underwater, or otherwise overlooked during a search.
The United States Secret Service awarded Cooper to the Sheriff's Office. Detective Cuddeback, Cooper's assigned handler, is part of the High-Tech Crimes Unit, which investigates crimes involving digital evidence, with a focus on crimes against children and human trafficking.
The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office was one of 14 law enforcement agencies selected nationwide to receive an Electronics Storage Detection, or ESD, K9. The agencies were selected based on their work investigating crimes involving digital evidence and their continued efforts to combat online predators, child exploitation and human trafficking.
Cooper and Cuddeback recently completed an intensive, multi-week training program with Jordan Detection K9 at the U.S. Secret Service National Computer Forensics Institute in Alabama.
The training was conducted by Todd Jordan, a retired firefighter and investigator who was instrumental in the investigation that led to the arrest of former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle. Jordan now trains electronic detection K9s and their handlers for law enforcement agencies across the country.
The Sheriff's Office thanked the United States Secret Service, U.S. Secret Service Sacramento Field Office, National Computer Forensics Institute, and Jordan Detection K9 for their support in bringing Cooper and the new resource to El Dorado County.
The Sheriff's Office said in its online post, "We’re excited to have Cooper part of the team!"
(The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office contributed to this story.)
