INCREDIBLE SENSE OF SMELL. THAT'S HOW THEY
DETECT DRUGS...
IDENTIFY EXPLOSIVES...
AND EVEN FIND
MISSING PEOPLE.
BUT IT TURNS OUT
THEIR NOSES... CAN BE
"OVER" TRAINED.
THINK ABOUT IT... WHAT
IF THEY'RE TAUGHT TO
FIND MARIJUANA...
THEN IT BECOMES
LEGAL?
THE ERIE COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS
BEING PROACTIVE...
AND JUST FINISHED
CERTIFYING A NEW
CLASS OF K9S.
CHANNEL 2'S MICHAEL
WOOTEN HAS THE
INSIDE LOOK AT THEIR
TRAINING... IN THIS 2 ON
YOUR SIDE ORIGINAL.
INSIDE
INSIDE THIS BUILDING... A FIRST... "GOOD GIRL."
FOR THE ERIE COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
"WE'RE REACHING THAT
FINISH LINE."
A NEW CLASS OF K9S...
TAUGHT IN A WHOLE
NEW WAY.
"THERE'S NO DOUBT
WITH OUR TRAINING
THAT THESE DOGS WILL
BE READY TO GO."
IN THE PAST... THE
SHERIFF'S OFFICE
PURCHASED FULLY
TRAINED DOGS... THAT
COST MORE.
THIS TIME... THE
INSTRUCTION --
HAPPENS "IN-HOUSE"...
"DO YOU SEE THAT AS A
BENEFIT? OH YEA, FOR
SURE. I MEAN, THESE
DOGS ARE BEING
TRAINED BY US, SO WE
ARE WATCHING THEM
GROW."
"WE HAD THE
OPPORTUNITY TO GO
CHOOSE DOGS THAT WE
LIKED, THAT WERE
PHYSICALLY FIT, THAT
HAD A GREAT ATTITUDE,
HAD A GREAT WORK
DRIVE."
THESE DRUG DOG
RECRUITS HAVE BEEN
HARD AT WORK... FOR
MONTHS!
"THEY'VE
MONTHS! "THEY'VE DONE PATROL
TRAINING, WHICH IS
GOING TO INCLUDE
ARTICLE SEARCHES,
TRACKING, BUILDING
SEARCHES, HANDLER
PROTECTION AND
CRIMINAL
APPREHENSION, THINGS
LIKE THAT."
THEIR SCHOOLING
CULMINATES WITH
"THIS"... SCENT
DETECTION.
ACTUALLY SNIFFING OUT
THE ILLEGAL
SUBSTANCES.
"THEY HAVE INCREDIBLE
NOSES, AND WE PUT
THEM TO WORK."
DEPUTY ERIC
SZKATULSKI
'S NEW PARTNER... IS UP
FIRST.
"MY NEW K9 IS K9 BO,
AND HE'S THE BELGIAN
MALINOIS."
THE TEAM HAS HIDDEN
"REAL" SAMPLES OF
HEROIN... METH... AND
COCAINE... ALL
THROUGHOUT THIS
BUILDING.
"THIS IS REAL LIFE
STUFF? YES. YES, WE
ARE NOT USING ANY
PSEUDO-SCENTS OR
ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
THESE ARE REAL
NARCOTICS THAT WE'VE
OBTAINED WITH A
LICENSE THROUGH THE
DEA."
K9 BO STARTS WITH A
CURSORY SEARCH...
A COUPLE MINUTES IN...
HE FINDS WHAT HE'S
LOOKING FOR... AND IS
REWARDED...
WITH HIS TOY...
"THEY ONLY ASSOCIATE
THIS ODOR WITH
FINDING THEIR BALL.
THEY DON'T ASSOCIATE
IT AS THIS IS COCAINE
AND I FOUND COCAINE.
THEY SAY, I FOUND THIS
BALL, AND I'M NOW
HAPPY."
TIME...
HAPPY." TIME... AFTER TIME...
AFTER TIME...
THE K9S SNIFF OUT THE
DRUGS.
"REPETITION IS KEY."
"EVERYTIME THESE
DOGS GO TO WORK,
THEY THINK THEY'RE
LOOKING FOR THEIR
TOY, AND THAT'S WHY
THEY HAVE THAT HIGH
DRIVE AND THEY WANT
TO WORK, BECAUSE
THEY THINK THEY'RE
LOOKING FOR THEIR
TOY."
EACH DOG HAS A
DIFFERENT WAY OF
ALERTING THE HANDLER
TO THE DRUGS.
"A VERY DISTINCT
STARE AT THE ODOR."
BESIDES BO...
WE WATCHED THE
TRAINING OF K9S
DEMOS... ARES
... AND HAVOC.
"THE ERIE COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS
TRAINING FOUR NEW
NARCOTICS DETECTION
K9S, BUT THEY'RE ALSO
TRAINING ONE FROM
THE LACKAWANNA
POLICE DEPARTMENT."
RHAEGAR IS HIS NAME.
THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS
ABLE TO COMPLETE THIS
TRAINING BECAUSE K9
UNIT SUPERVISOR SGT.
JORDAN GRABAR...
BECAME A CERTIFIED
INSTRUCTOR.
THESE NEW DRUG DOGS
WILL REPLACE RETIRING
ONES...
WHOSE NOSES -- YOU
COULD ARGUE -- HAVE A
LITTLE TOO MUCH
TRAINING.
THEY WERE TAUGHT TO
SNIFF OUT MARIJUANA.
WHICH MADE "SENSE" AT
THE TIME.
BUT THE SMART MONEY
IN ALBANY... IS THAT
LAWMAKERS WILL --
LIKELY ONE DAY SOON --
LEGALIZE POT ACROSS
NEW YORK.
"IF WE USE THEM AFTER
THE LEGALIZATION OF
MARIJAUNA, THAT
SEARCH WOULD HAVE
BEEN NULL AND VOID,
BECAUSE YOU CAN'T
UNTRAIN THAT DOG
FROM THAT SCENT."
"THE LAST THING THAT
YOU WANT TO DO IS
HAVE A CASE FALL APART
BECAUSE A JUDGE
TOSSES OUT EVIDENCE
RELATED TO THE K9
TRAINING. RIGHT. OUR
OLD DOGS, THAT COULD
STILL HAPPEN."
"THAT'S WHY IT'S
IMPORTANT TO TRAIN
NEW DOGS THAT DON'T
HAVE THE ABILITY TO
ALERT ON MARIJUANA."
THE DRUG DETECTION
TRAINING WE SAW --
HAPPENED AT CRADLE
BEACH... WHICH HOSTS
THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE
FOR A YOUTH
MENTORING CAMP IN
THE SUMMERS.
"WE'RE VOLUNTEERING
OUR TIME AND SPACE
AND PROVIDING THIS
OPPORTUNITY AND
WORKING IN
COLLABORATION AS
GOOD PARTNERS."
BUT THE TRAINING
DOESN'T STOP HERE.
WE CAUGHT UP WITH
SGT. GRABAR AT THE K9
AGILITY COURSE AT
CHESTNUT RIDGE
PARK...
HERE -- WORKING WITH
CIRO... AN EXPLOSIVES
DETECTION K9.
TRAINING NEVER REALLY
ENDS.
"THESE HANDLERS GO
HOME. THEY TRAIN WITH
THESE DOGS NON-STOP.
YOU DEFINITELY HAVE
TO LOVE YOUR JOB,
BECAUSE THESE DOGS
COME HOME WITH YOU.
THEY'RE PART OF YOUR
FAMILY. AND THEY DON'T
JUST GO HOME AND GO
TO SLEEP. THEY GO
HOME. YOU HAVE TO
TRAIN THEM FURTHER."
"WHAT'S THE
RELATIONSHIP LIKE
BETWEEN HANDLER AND
K9? IT GETS PRETTY
PERSONAL. YOU GO
THROUGH A LOT WITH
THE DOG, NOT ONLY ON
DEPLOYMENTS --
WHETHER YOU'RE
SEARCHING FOR
PEOPLE, YOU'VE RELIED
ON THAT DOG FOR
PROTECTION. SO
THERE'S QUITE A BOND
THERE THAT YOU DON'T
WANT TO GIVE UP."
THAT'S WHY...
THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS
LETTING THE HANDLERS
"ADOPT" THE RETIRING
K9S.
MEANING MONTY... WILL
GET TO STAY WITH
DEPUTY SZKATULSKI
.
"SOMETHING
. "SOMETHING DEFINITELY THAT WE
WOULD FIGHT FOR TO
KEEP OUR DOG. WE
SPEND A LOT OF TIME
TRAINING, TIME WITH
THE DOG, I WOULDN'T
WANT TO GIVE HIM UP."
NOW -- A NEW
GENERATION OF DRUG
DOGS...
WITH A NEW SET OF
SKILLS...
BUT THE SAME OLD
MISSION... OF HELPING
TO PROTECT WESTERN
NEW YORK.
NEW YORK.
NEW YORK. SO SINCE WE SHOT
THAT STORY... ALL OF THE NEW K9S PASSED
THEIR TESTS... AND ARE
NOW CERTIFIED DRUG
DOGS.
THEY'RE PART OF A
UNIT... THAT IS NOW 19
STRONG WITH THE
SHERIFF'S OFFICE...
THAT INCLUDES DOGS
TRAINED TO FIND
EXPLOSIVES...
ACCELLERANTS... THEY
HAVE A CADAVER DOG...
AND THERAPY DOGS.
IT'S ONE OF THE
LARGEST K9 UNITS IN
NEW YORK... OUTSIDE
OF THE STATE POLICE...
AND THE N-Y-P-D.
MY FAVORITE PART OF
ALL OF THIS... THE
SHERIFF'S OFFICE PAID
TO PURCHASE AND
TRAIN THESE DOGS...
USING FORFEITURES
FROM DRUG DEALERS.