Det. Daniel Farid from the prosecutor’s office told the media outlet that perpetrators often download illegal material onto one of these devices and conceal it, possibly to keep it hidden from a spouse or in preparation for a police visit.
Walt came to the US from Croatia in March and completed his training at the New Jersey State Police Canine Training Academy in June. He is now certified in electronic scent detection, MSM.com reported.
Farid told the media outlet that Walt is only the fifth dog trained with this skill in New Jersey.
Dogs like Walt are trained to detect a chemical called triphenylphosphine oxide, which is commonly used in electronics production, Farid reported in the article. Even inside the casing of a cellphone or when a tiny memory card is masked by other odors, these dogs can still sniff out the chemical, according to the article.
Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of Detectives Tom Gilbert described Walt as a “low-tech solution to a high-tech problem” in the article. He noted that prosecutors can’t make their cases without the kinds of evidence Walt is trained to find.