The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office – Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force

A doctor who treats children in Ecuador is currently facing a 30-year prison sentence for creating explicit content involving minors—and his prosecution is thanks to Rosco, the electronic sniffer dog.

Not a robotic dog, but a dog trained to detect the chemicals applied onto the surfaces of data storage devices, even SD cards no larger than a pinky nail.

Rosco hails from Rogers County Oklahoma, where he and his partner Lieutenant John Haning work in the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Another K9 in the task force, a black Labrador named Ruger, last year sniffed out a laptop loaded with evidence hidden under the cushion of a sofa.

“If you overlook one cell phone, one computer, micro-SD card, or one hidden camera somewhere in the room, that could lead to another victim or that could lead us to put this perpetrator away for a long period of time,” said Haning.

While typically handling cases in the US, their reputation for success has earned them calls to catch child predators internationally. In the Ecuador case, they were asked to join a big police raid, and Officer Haning told local news that whenever called upon, they answer.

“When they called up and said ‘Hey we need your help.’ We have a high-profile doctor in Ecuador who’s hands-on in creating content that he’s sharing on the internet internationally,’ We jumped at it,” Haning told KJRH News.

On Jan 19th, 23 the FCSO Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force assisted the Fairfield CO Sheriff’s Office in the execution of a search at a home during a child exploitation investigation. Franklin County K9 Ruger located a laptop hidden under the cushion of a sofa. pic.twitter.com/7em6IWU6Ha

— Franklin County Sheriff’s Office (@OHFCSO) January 20, 2023

After police kicked down the doors, Rosco and Haning followed up looking for any hidden storage devices.

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Then, Rosco’s secondary training—being a support dog—kicked in.

A 15-year-old girl with special needs was present in the house, and was completely out of control and crying. Suddenly, a big blonde pooch walked over to comfort her and the girl calmed down almost immediately.

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Rosco also provides comfort to Haning and his fellow officers who admit they’re forced to deal with really ‘heavy’ work. So, when the 80-pound blondie wants to get in their laps, it lightens their loads, too.

It’s a story that reinforces the notion that not all heroes wear capes, as well as introduces the notion that among those heroes who don’t wear capes, some don’t even need to catch bad guys—they just need to sniff out a motherboard.

SHARE The Story Of These Heroic Hounds And Their Ability To Gather Evidence… 

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