a day ago
Port St. Lucie Police's new rookie has four legs and a nose trained to find electronics
PORT ST. LUCIE — The police department's newest addition is four-legged and a little furry, but his salary is budget-friendly – he works for food and a few scratches behind the ear.
Dexter, a 2-year-old black Labrador, joined the force on June 16. He's trained to search for cell phones, tablets, computers, GPS trackers and other equipment that can be used as evidence in a crime investigation. Dexter is specifically trained to detect the chemical scent of the glue inside the devices, according to police officials.
But he's also dual certified as a therapy dog to provide emotional support to victims and his new co-workers, Police Chief Leo Niemczyk said June 19.
When Dexter sees his handler Detective Andrew Zamfino put on his food pouch and say "go," Dexter knows it's time for work, Zamfino said. Zamfino took a personality test to be matched with a police dog with the same kind of temperament, he said.
Dexter held a brief meet-and-greet June 19 with his handler Zamfino and trainer Will Harris.
He has yet to get his first real assignment, but the police agency has plans for how they'll deploy its newest rookie.
"Almost every investigation that we encounter in this day and age has an electronic component to it, whether it be cell phones or computers, and oftentimes people are trying to hide and dispose of evidence," Niemczyk said. "Cell phones get thrown out of car windows all the time, and we end up searching grounds for thrown-out cell phones. This dog will be very helpful in that situation."
Dexter was donated to the Port St. Lucie Police Department as part of a program with OUR Rescue in Indiana. The donation came with training and certification from Jordan Detection K9.
There are only nine electronic storage detection and therapy-trained police dogs in Florida. Port St. Lucie Police is the second law enforcement agency in southeast Florida to get this kind of canine, police officials said.
Dogs are selected as puppies, where trainers look for ones that use their nose to search for food, Harris said. That instinct is then transferred over to using their nose to find their target, he said.
Dexter is a "food-reward dog," meaning he gets hand-fed after completing his task.
"That makes him very efficient at what he does," Harris said, "because he has to do it to eat."
Lucy's Law: Florida Governor DeSantis receives boating bill
Scarified mangroves: Vero Beach contractor denies wrongdoing in Sebastian mangrove removal
Dexter trains an hour a day at the police office, and at home with Zamfino as well, Harris added.
"It's a 24-hour a day job (for Dexter)," he said.
Colleen Wixon is the education reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers. She covers school districts in Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Port St. Lucie's newest dog can find cell phones, comfort victims
