- Training for K9’s can take up to six or seven months.
- Inside the kits are an evidence jar, a gauze pad, and a flash drive. This is used by local law enforcement agencies.
- Watch the video above to hear how the kits work.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
Tools that are being used to find missing people in the Big Bend.
I’m Terry Gilliam your Southwest Tallahassee neighborhood reporter.
I see how a scent kit is used to find missing loved ones, and how neighbors can get their hands on them.
“We’re part of the community here in Tallahassee. It’s really an honor to partner with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.”
That’s Paul Coley, founder, and CEO of Scent Evidence K9. Since 2012 “Scent Kits” were created to bring the lost home.
Inside the kits are an evidence jar, a gauze pad, and a flash drive. This is used by local law enforcement agencies.
“Hearing those life-saving finds, knowing it’s protecting people’s loved ones; there’s no words to describe.”
Coley told me how it works. To collect the scent of a family member, first you swipe the gauze under the arms 10 times and place the gauze in the jar. Then, seal the lid with supplied tamper-proof tape. The flash drive will be used to store important identification information.
That’s where another tool comes in. LCSO K9 dogs will get a whiff of the evidence jar and then will search for those who are missing.
“They’re amazing animals, bloodhounds themselves have been bred to do this since 646 A.D.”
Missing people sometimes are children on the spectrum, people with Dementia, or have Alzheimer’s. I checked the numbers— according to the Alzheimer’s Association, 60% of people with Dementia will wander or go missing.
Finding neighbors who are missing requires training for the K9’s. I spoke with Deputy Louis Kurtz with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, and he tells me the work that goes into it.
“It’s a lot of repetition, a lot of long days. Some days are better than others; but very rewarding work.”
Deputy also says that training for K9’s can take up to six or seven months.
For neighbors to get their hands on a Scent Kit, Deputy Kurtz and Coley tells me they’re working on a community day to hand kits out to neighbors. A date hasn’t been set yet.
As for Coley, he says these kits go a long way in bringing the lost home.
“It gives Rex and Officer Kurtz a much-needed advantage.”
Those with Scent Evidence K9 tell me, they see this tool as a helping hand to local law enforcement and families that live here. In Southwest Tallahassee, Terry Gilliam, ABC27.
