IFPD gets boost in fight against child pornography
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - The IFPD received a $145,000 grant from the Operation Underground Railroad. The organization works closely with law enforcement agencies across the nation to end human trafficking and exploitation, which we are told is a growing problem in the Idaho Falls region.
The grant to the IFPD is being received as two new powerful tools for the department to use in the fight against Child Pornography. The first tool is a brand new K-9 that will be trained to detect any electronics that are a part of any investigation.
"This canine is trained to sniff out electronics, so they actually sniff out the resin compound that is used to solder electronics together, so we will use it to search for hard drives, laptops, cell phones, anything that is attached to these types of crimes," IFPD spokesperson Jessica Clements said.
While the dog is not expected to become a part of the police department until March it is important to note that the dog will not be getting field experience right away.
"He should be fully trained and ready to do the job that he needs to do," Clements said. "There will be some time to dedicate to training the handler to work with the dog and make sure that they're working together well, and they're meeting all their certifications and criteria."
The exciting news regarding the dog is that it will be helpful in any major crime investigation as needed but the dog will not be used in the apprehension of suspects. The other tool that is coming too the IFPD is a new data server that will give the PD more memory to store the evidence they will need in these investigations.
The Idaho Attorney General's office has created a Taskforce to focus specifically on these types of investigations and an IFPD detective is attacked to this Taskforce. This detective assist with search warrants and other investigations around the region.
