NEWEST MEMBER OF THE MONMOUTH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE HAS A SHARP SENSE FOR SNIFFING OUT CRIME
Monmouth County: Sheriff Shaun Golden welcomes the newest member to the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Division, who has one credential for the job, his sense of smell. Moose, the 10-month-old bloodhound, was certified by the Cape May County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Training Academy, along with his handler S/O Joseph Szotak during a ceremony on Jan. 24.
“Moose will be a significant asset to our K-9 Unit, since his sole purpose is to locate individuals,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden. “Through tracking and trailing, this highly trained K-9, with a stronger sense of smell than any other breed, will assist the sheriff’s officers and local police departments in apprehending criminals, locating missing persons and those with special needs.”
The Cape May County Sheriff’s Office K-9 training program has a rigorous curriculum and hands-on approach, ensuring that K-9s and their handlers are prepared for real-world scenarios.
K-9’s Moose and S/O Joseph Szotak worked closely during 13 weeks of training to build a strong, cohesive partnership, which will be pivotal in the field.
The team tracked scent in rural, urban and residential areas and through bodies of water, the woods, fields, creeks and garbage, as well as parking lots and busy roadways. Bloodhounds are trained to track skin cells. It’s estimated that a bloodhound’s nose has 230 million olfactory cells, or “scent receptors”- 40 times the number in humans.
“Many thanks to Sheriff Golden and the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office for providing Moose and me with this great opportunity,” said S/O Joseph Szotak. “Moose’s determination and commitment during training was outstanding and I’m confident that he will be a great addition to the K-9 Unit.”
The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office presently consists of nine K-9s and eight sheriff’s officers, which include four explosive detections teams, two narcotics detections teams and three bloodhound tracking teams.
