First Responder Friday: Greenville County Sheriff's Office K-9 Scooby
GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) – There's an investigator in the Upstate with the right nose and a perfect name for the job.
However, Scooby is far from your average law enforcement K9 officer.
The golden retriever is an electronic storage detection, ESD, dog with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office. He's specially trained to assist the agency's Internet Crimes Against Children, ICAC, unit.
The K9 accompanies deputies when they conduct searches. He'd been involved in 16 warrant servings as of late February.
'We'll search and he comes in behind me,' Scooby's handler Investigator Alicia Turner said. '(Scooby) searches for hidden devices or devices we may have missed.'
So, how does Scooby find those devices?
'It's a smell,' Turner explained. 'It's a pin drop of a chemical that's put on the devices to make sure they don't overheat. It's a very minute smell.'
There are only six other ESD K9 officers in South Carolina.
Scooby was donated to the Greenville County Sheriff's Office by Defenders for Children. That's a non-profit that is dedicated to preventing child abuse. International Plastics also made a donation to bring Scooby to the agency.
'He can only eat when he's working,' according to Investigator Turner. 'He doesn't get treats. He doesn't get anything but his food. And it's only when he finds something that he gets something to eat.'
'But he finds the devices, So, don't worry. He gets to eat.'
Scooby can locate hidden phones, tablets, thumb drives, SD cards and micro SD cards.
Turner has been investigating cases of crime against children for more than 15 years in the Upstate and Atlanta.
She has this warning for parents.
'You give your kid a phone, you're giving them access to everything and everyone access to them.'
'Young children can play on YouTube of whatever,' Turner told 7NEWS. 'They are posting images of themselves. They think it's funny, but it's out there. And once it's out there (online) it's out there.'
And then there's that name.
Scooby-Doo began as a popular children's series on CBS in 1969 and has continued as a cartoon and in feature moves for decades.
'Someone said his name should have been Shaggy and not Scooby because his hair is all over the place,' Turner, who has heard all the jokes, said. 'I get the Scooby-Doo song. People like to sing it a lot. Mystery Machine, you name it.'
'One of the magical things about his name is that when we go to schools or come in contact with children, they get really excited about his name.'
'It always puts a smile on their faces and adults as well. They love the name.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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