LINCOLN — LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — Meet Scooter, the only active police service dog in Nebraska trained in finding hidden electronic devices. Her primary purpose with the State Patrol will be assisting in child exploitation cases.
- Video shows Scooter training to find a few devices hidden at the NSP headquarters.
- Scooter's handler and investigator Neil Trantham shares how the two will work together as a team going forward.
- Scooter is ready to start working with the team, but her training will continue two to three times a day to develop her skills.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
She's the newest addition to the Nebraska State Patrol. Meet Scooter, the only active police service dog in Nebraska trained in electronic storage detection — ESD for short.
"Alright, Scooter, alright. You ready to go to work? Okay, let's go to work."
It's only Scooter's third week on the job, but her handler and Nebraska State Patrol investigator Neil Trantham is ready to put her to work.
How are you feeling about having a new partner?
"This is something that I didn't anticipate would ever happen in my career," said Trantham.
Scooter is specially trained in finding hidden electronic devices.
"So whether it's cellphones, computers, laptops, USB drives, even micro SD cards — anything that has storage capability — she'll help us find those whenever bad guys have hidden those in different places," said Trantham.
Her primary purpose with the State Patrol will be assisting in child exploitation cases.
The department typically handles two to four of these search warrants a month, but she can also be used for other investigations — including missing persons cases, in the prison system to look for smuggled cellphones, and even in pursuits if someone throws a phone out of their car.
Scooter was imprinted on a chemical that's found in all common electronic storage devices.
Beyond her super snout capabilities, "Scooter the Computer" — as Trantham calls her — is also trained to comfort and aid victims of crimes, which oftentimes will be children.
"Scooter could even go into the interview room with the child and sit next to the child, and while the child's telling the forensic interviewer about the worst days of their life, they can hug her, pet her, and she can be there for their comfort as well... so she has lots of superpowers," said Trantham.
Scooter is ready to start working with the team, but her training will continue two to three times a day to develop her skills.
