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The Connecticut State Police K9 Unit trained the world’s first electronic storage device detection K9 in 2012, using proprietary training methods. Since that time, demand for the specialized electronic storage detection has rapidly grown, the department said.
The specialized ESD K9’s assist with counter-terror, child pornography, organized crime, and other related investigations by sniffing out evidence stored on the concealed electronic media storage devices such as thumb drives, SD cards, hard drives, cellular telephones, etc.
The K9’s were all selected by the Connecticut State Police K9 Training Unit Cadre and underwent five weeks of preliminary training with CSP K9 instructors before being paired with their respective handlers for an additional five weeks training and certification course of instruction.
The graduating ESD K9 Teams of the Connecticut State Police 200th K9 Training Troop included:
- Officer Dennis Hinkson and K9 Pauline, Connecticut Department of Corrections
- Trooper 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 NY
- Investigator Cory Stoff and K9 Ike, Missouri Highway Patrol DFIU Task Force
- Officer Matthew Gullo and K9 Kinsey New York City Police Counter Terrorism
The CSP K9 Training Unit was founded in 1934 and is one of the largest and longest operating training organizations of its kind in North America.
The unit often assists municipal, state, and federal agencies by deploying its K9 Assets to assist with incidents such as the first World Trade Center Bombing, 9/11 Ground Zero, the Boston Marathon Bombing, the FBI Top 10 Fugitive manhunt operation for Eric Frein in Pennsylvania, as well as other significant incidents.
The graduation will take place this Friday, March 15, at 10:00 a.m., at the State Police Academy located at 285 Preston Ave., Meriden.
Law Enforcement agencies seeking information regarding K9 Training curriculums offered by the Connecticut State Police K9 Unit can contact the K9 Training Unit directly at (203) 630-5656.
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