Meet URL, the Child Porn-Sniffing Dog

Meet URL — the Electronic Detection, or “porn-sniffing”, black Labrador who can sniff out child pornography and help catch the culprits.

URL was trained by to sniff out electronic devices, whereupon law enforcement can check to see if they have pornography and illegal contraband stored on them.

URL (pronounced “Earl”) was recruited by the Weber County Sheriff’s Department in Utah. He was trained by the same expert who helped indict former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle. He is 16 months old. According to local CBS News affiliate in Los Angeles, he will also be working with the F.B.I., Homeland Security, and other agencies to track down offenders.

The K-9 was rescued from a shelter when he was a puppy and underwent six months of training in Indiana before becoming certified.

According to the sheriff’s department, “Whether it’s child porn, terrorism intelligence, narcotics or financial crimes information, URL has the ability to find evidence hidden on basically any electronic memory device.”

The department issued a press release detailing URL’s role:

Say hello to “URL!” Utah’s first Electronic Detection K-9, or what some may jokingly refer to as Utah’s first “porn dog.” URL is a 16-month old, Black Lab, recently acquired from Jordan Detection K-9 in Greenfield, Indiana. He is only one of nine certified ED K-9s in the country, and the only one in the western states region. URL comes from the same trainer as Bear, the ED K-9 who played a key role in the arrest of Subway pitchman, Jared Fogle.

Specially trained to sniff out electronic storage devices such as thumb drives, cellphones, SIM cards, SD cards, external hard drives, tablets and iPads, URL offers a unique set of skills to aid investigators in fighting crime. Whether it’s child porn, terrorism intelligence, narcotics or financial crimes information, URL has the ability to find evidence hidden on basically any electronic memory device. He will assist our investigators on these specific types of cases, and he will also be used in our correctional facility to seek out contraband such as cell phones.

 

URL is reportedly one of nine certified electronic detection K-9s in the United States. Per department requirements, both URL and his detective-handler Cam Hartman will be re-certified for their roles each year.

Last year, Fogle was convicted of receiving and exchanging dozens of pornographic images of underage youth and children. He was given a 16-year prison sentence for his crime.

Last month, he filed to appeal his sentence, arguing that merely fantasizing about having sex with children is not a crime and suggesting that since he did not participate in the production of any of the illegal content that he should receive a lighter sentence.

Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz