MIDDLETOWN — They look adorable, but they have been trained for a very special job!
Say hello to the 200th K9 Training Troop! They consist of seven K9 teams from throughout the United State, and specialize in Electronic Storage Device Detection.
The Connecticut State Police K9 Unit trained the world’s first ESD K9 in 2012, utilizing a proprietary training methodology and curriculum. Since that time, demand for the specialized ESD K9’s have grown.
State Police say the specialized ESD K9s assist with counterterrorism, child pornography, organized crime, and other related investigations by sniffing out evidence stored on concealed electronic media storage devices like thumb drives, SD cards, hard drives, and phones.
The K9s were all selected by the Connecticut State Police K9 Training Unit Cadre and underwent five weeks of preliminary training with instructors. They were then paired with their respective handlers for an additional five-week training and certification course.
The graduation will be held Friday at 10 a.m.
The graduating ESD K9 teams are pictured from left to right:
Officer Dennis Hinkson and K9 Pauline | Connecticut Department of corrections
Tropper Tommy Bellue and K9 Maggie | Louisiana State Police
Detective David Aresco and K9 Dora | Connecticut State Police
Officer Anel Heredia and K9 Hugh | New York City Police Counter Terrorism
Investigator John Hyla and K9 Hannah | Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, New York
Investigator Cory Stoff and K9 Ike | Missouri Highway Patrol DFIU Task Force
Officer Matthew Gullo and K9 Kinsey | New York City Police Counter Terrorism
