Meet K-9 Sherlock: The Electronic Sniffer Dog Who Fights Child Exploitation

COBB COUNTY, GA – The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office is one of the only agencies in the state with a K-9 that can detect electronic devices. The goal is to catch people involved in sex trafficking, child pornography and online predators. His name is K-9 Sherlock.

“That (SD card) contains thousands and thousands and thousands of images that put our community at risk,” Chief Gina Hawkins said.

“I hope we can find the child abusers who committed these heinous acts against our children,” Sheriff Craig Owens said.

“From videos to cameras to cell phones, we are finding the evidence we need to prosecute these individuals,” he added.

Defenders for Children donated K-9 Sherlock to the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office. They have been placing these electronic detection K-9s throughout the county. Sherlock has only been in Cobb County for a month, but Sheriff Owens says he has already had one successful intervention.

“He can look for body cameras that have fallen off an officer’s body. He can look for a phone that’s been thrown out of a car. He can find cell phones that are underwater,” said Deputy Carl Cramer, who handles Sherlock.

“He will also be conducting checks in our jails and ensuring that we do not have inappropriate electronic devices on our premises, from cell phones to USB drives,” Sheriff Owens added.

Although K-9 Sherlock is their first in the Atlanta metro area, Defenders for Children hopes to place more in the area in the coming years.

“Our goal is to have at least eight dogs if we can, because there are a lot of children who are suffering, a lot of women who are suffering,” said Toni Clark, CEO of Defenders for Children.