‘Golden State Killer’ prosecutor enlists special K-9 to sniff out cybercrimes in new digital strategy

A peculiar physics detection K-9 is helping a cardinal California territory attorney's bureau ace down connected a emergence successful cybercrimes.

Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward shared details with Fox News Digital astir however the office's newest crime-fighting canine volition play a important relation successful helping tackle the increasing fig of cybercrimes.

"I'll beryllium honest, erstwhile my main researcher came to maine with this conception arsenic an idea, you know, what would you deliberation astir doing this? I honestly didn't cognize if she was joking oregon not. There's a canine that tin odor electronics. Are you kidding me? But it's been an eye-opening experience," Ward recalled. 

Ward said his bureau was 1 of 12 successful the state awarded an physics detection canine done the National Forensic Institute programme of the U.S. Secret Service.

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The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office is introducing its first-ever physics detection K-9, Tor.  (Tulare County District Attorney's Office)

"We're beauteous honored to beryllium included with that," Ward said. "We fashioned ourselves arsenic being benignant of a person successful the areas of crimes against children and white-collar crime. But, marque nary mistake astir it, Tor is present to assistance each of our instrumentality enforcement partners crossed the county."

Tor, a 2-year-old achromatic labrador retriever, gained his sanction from an country of the acheronian web and volition beryllium utilized to assistance with crimes that usage physics devices, specified arsenic kid pornography, scams and different web offenses. 

Tor’s handler, TCDA Criminal Investigator Anthony Benitez, said that physics retention detection (ESD) K-9s started being utilized astir 2012 and much heavy successful 2015 erstwhile ESD K-9 "Bear" and his trainer/handler Todd Jordan with Jordan Detection K9 were called upon to assistance connected the Jared Fogle investigation.

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Benitez added that their hunt helped find cardinal grounds utilized to prosecute Fogle successful that case. 

"Todd Jordan was besides Tor’s trainer done his company, and since the 2015 investigation, their usage has accrued arsenic much instrumentality enforcement agencies get these K-9's," Benitez explained. 

Ward explained that Tor is trained to observe a chemical, triphenylphosphine oxide utilized successful the manufacturing of conscionable astir immoderate benignant of retention device, similar cellphones, USB drives, micro SD cards, computers and cameras. 

"The conception is not excessively far-fetched from a canine narcotic canine that's trained to odor narcotics. We've often seen dogs successful airports that are trained to odor explosives. Well, this is simply a precise niche, precise constrictive country that helium is trained to observe that chemical, and it tin beryllium successful beauteous tiny amounts," Ward said.

Veteran Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward explains the value of a caller K-9 physics detection dog, Tor.   (Tulare County District Attorney's Office)

Benitez explained that ESD K-9’s are called upon to hunt a determination erstwhile instrumentality enforcement has already completed a manual search, specified arsenic successful a hunt of a home.

"As you know, tiny MicroSD cards, USB drives oregon cellphones tin beryllium hidden successful assorted places and sometimes overlooked by instrumentality enforcement. An ESD K-9 similar Tor volition past hunt this determination and perchance find the hidden devices," Benitez said.

"Most radical don’t usually conceal their devices, and immoderate hidden devices located would beryllium forensically analyzed to find immoderate evidentiary value. Tor would bespeak the chemic TPPO recovered connected the instrumentality and not connected the content."

Ward added that they person ever had a absorption connected crimes against children but said that, implicit the past 5 to 8 years, they person seen an emergence of white-collar transgression and fraud.

"When I accidental fraud, you instantly commencement reasoning of embezzlement, right? But it's not excessively acold down that way till you commencement seeing crimes similar execution for fiscal gain," Ward said.

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Ward said authorities person seen an "increased fig of fraud, embezzlement and analyzable white-collar transgression cases happening," and that they are seeing some transgression types "merging successful the country successful the usage of electronics and retention devices."

"I'll accidental argumentatively, the criminality of hiding the evidence, whether they beryllium the images of kid porn, horrible things, oregon if they are deception and hiding fiscal records and pursuing the money. What we're excited astir is that Tor is capable to assistance instrumentality enforcement successful immoderate the archetypal transgression benignant is," Ward said. 

Ward has served arsenic Tulare County territory lawyer since 2012 and has developed a Crimes Against Children Unit and a Human Trafficking Task Force and has brought the archetypal Courthouse Comfort canine to Tulare County.

Ward said the request for constabulary K-9s similar Tor is indispensable arsenic transgression is evolving, sharing a past example.

Authorities successful Tulare County, Calif., are cracking down connected cybercrime. (Getty Images)

"Several years ago, I had the privilege of being portion of the prosecution of the Visalia Ransacker case, who turned retired to beryllium the 'Golden State Killer,'" helium said. "And I said successful the sentencing of that suspect that, astatine the time, we were seeing, arsenic subject and exertion grew, and it expanded, what it's going to bash is shrink the abstraction that criminals are capable to run in.

"And I deliberation that's the connection here. For anyone that would deliberation that they are smarter than this dog's nose, you volition not get distant with it. If he's successful the area, helium tin observe it." 

Ward said helium hopes that victims knowing Tor is retired determination volition springiness them and their families anticipation and a consciousness of protection.

"We're fortunate and fortunate that the U.S. Secret Service chose america to beryllium a portion of this. And we're going to beryllium bully stewards. And we're going to bash everything we tin to enactment him (Tor) to bully use," Ward said. 

"Having a instrumentality similar Tor volition tremendously assistance instrumentality enforcement successful uncovering hidden items similar this. Finding this 1 point could marque oregon interruption a case," Benitez added. 

Ward said contempt "so overmuch going connected successful California close now," his bureau is sending a wide message.

"There's truthful galore voices and things coming retired of Sacramento. Who's the dependable that's near retired of each of that conversation? It's the victims' voices and the families of victims. And our bosom surely goes retired to immoderate household who has a kid impacted by crime," Ward said.

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With the usage of Tor, Ward is assured they volition beryllium capable to support much people.

"We tin nonstop a connection to those families that don't person a dependable coming retired of Sacramento close present that idiosyncratic does, successful fact, attraction astir victims. And we're going to bash everything we tin to clasp those criminals accountable," helium said.