Taylor teen builds ‘scent wall' for Taylor police K-9

Yahoo

27-02-2025

The Taylor Police Department has a new tool to train its K-9 thanks to a borough teen.
Nathan Thorp, 15, built a 'scent-detection wall' this month to help K-9 Biko, the Police Department's Belgian Malinois, and K-9 Officer Matthew McDonald hone Biko's ability to sniff out drugs. The Riverside High School freshman constructed the roughly 16-foot-long by 4-foot-tall wall for his Eagle Scout project — the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts of America — as a member of Scranton-based Boy Scout Troop 16. Nathan constructed the scent wall with some help from his dad, Stew, and volunteers from his troop.
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Taylor K-9 police officer Matthew McDonald handles 4-year-old K-9 named Biko while he detects attempts to detect methamphetamine in the 'scent wall' in their Taylor training facility. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Taylor K-9 police officer Matthew McDonald plays with 4-year-old K-9 named Biko after detecting methamphetamine in the 'scent wall' at a training facility in Taylor Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Taylor police K-9 Biko plays with K-9 officer Matthew McDonald at a Taylor training facility Wednesday. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Taylor K-9 Biko detects drugs hidden in the scent wall during a training session with his handler Taylor Officer Matthew McDonald Wednesday. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Taylor K-9 police officer Matthew McDonald handles 4-year-old K-9 named Biko while he detects attempts to detect methamphetamine in the 'scent wall' in their Taylor training facility. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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With 18 holes in the wall connected with toilet flanges, the wall uses Y pipes where a K-9 handler can stash objects for the dog to find, Nathan said.
'The dog will just go to each and every hole and sniff at each one, and when he finds it, he'll stare at it,' he said. 'They think it's like a game because when they find it, they get a treat or they get a tennis ball for a little bit.'
Nathan, who has been in the Boy Scouts since first grade, said the idea for the wall came after he attended a borough meeting for a merit badge. During the meeting, McDonald and Biko held a demonstration, and McDonald told Nathan's cubmaster that the department was looking to build a drug wall.
'I thought it'd be a great idea to do my project as that,' Nathan said.
Building the wall took about two days, and once it was finished, Nathan and his dad mounted it inside a building at 360 S. Keyser Ave. that the Taylor Police Department uses for training.
Police Chief Brian Holland commended Nathan's project, calling it helpful for not just Biko and McDonald but also their training group, which includes K-9 officers from the Scranton and Moosic police departments. The K-9 units are required to spend 16 hours per month training in order to maintain their certifications, and they frequently train together outside of those mandated hours, Holland said.
'They typically train in the Allentown area, so if there's a scheduling conflict or inclement weather or something that prevents them from going down there, they'll train here,' he said. 'Them having access to this is wonderful.'
Police will use the wall to hide drugs in different locations for narcotics scent-detection training, Holland said.
When McDonald spoke to the Boy Scouts about the project, he gave them plans for the wall and worked closely with them, Holland said.
'For us to also partner with an organization like the (Boy Scouts), it's exactly what we were hoping for,' he said.
Biko, now 4 years old, arrived in the United States from Belgium in August 2022, becoming Taylor's first police dog in six years.
Since then, Biko has been fantastic, Holland said.
The Belgian Malinois, who was paid for entirely through community fundraising, has helped apprehend fugitives, carried out a significant number of drug searches and has aided in searches at schools and the federal U.S. Penitentiary at Canaan, Holland said. Biko also serves a role in community policing, with McDonald and his four-legged partner participating in Read Across America at Riverside and at Taylor's National Night Out, Holland said.
Throughout 2024, Biko was deployed 44 times, with 37 drug detection deployments and seven patrol deployments, resulting in 29 arrests, according to a deployment summary provided by Holland.
Last year, Biko worked with law enforcement from Taylor, Scranton, Dunmore, USP Canaan, Olyphant, Lackawanna County, Old Forge, Dickson City, Archbald, Carbondale, Jessup, Blakely, South Abington Twp. and the U.S. Marshals Service, according to the summary.
Overall, McDonald and Biko's police work resulted in the seizure of 54.5 grams of methamphetamine, 10 grams of cocaine, 10 grams of heroin and 1 gram of marijuana; two firearms; 18 pieces of drug paraphernalia; and $2,500, according to the deployment statistics.
Nathan, who's now in the home stretch to securing his Eagle Scout rank, said he's glad his project is able to help police and the community.
'I thought that this project would be very beneficial for the Police Department, our community,' he said. 'Keeping us safe.'
To see McDonald and Biko use Nathan's scent wall, there will be a demonstration Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. at 360 S. Keyser Ave., Taylor.