The Dutch shepherd has been working for the NRW police for nine years. His job so far: searching for and finding people or drugs. In spring 2019, he was selected together with five other four-legged colleagues to also be trained as a data storage sniffer dog. The training of the dogs is a consequence of the "Lügde case", in which a data storage detection dog had to be specially requested from Saxony. "Hank is very well suited for this because, on the one hand, he has a high search motivation. On the other hand, he has very strong nerves. He is characterized by great calmness during the search - and that is indispensable in this area," says service dog handler PHK Peter Baumeister.
The search for data storage devices is exhausting
When Hank searches for data storage devices such as USB sticks, hard drives or SIM cards during a mission, he sniffs for certain chemicals that are processed in the data storage devices. He learned this in a twenty-day training course. "That sounds pretty short at first. But you have to remember that he is already a trained sniffer dog. So he only had to be additionally conditioned to the specific scents that guide the dogs in their searches," explains his master. The difference to searching for drugs: sniffing for data is much more strenuous for Hank. After about 15 to 20 minutes of searching, he needs a break.
A real win
Hank's first assignment was in November at BAO "Berg" in Bergisch Gladbach, the second spectacular case of child abuse in NRW after Lügde. "We form the back-up, so to speak, for such operations," says PHK Peter Baumeister. After the two-legged colleagues have finished their search, it is then the dogs' turn. The hiding places are more or less imaginative: in the seat of the sofa, under the mattress, stuck under a table - and even double bottoms in cupboards or drawers. When Hank hears the command "Feel!", he starts to search. If he remains motionless, Peter Baumeister knows that he has found something. As a reward, Hank then gets his favorite toy: a teething sausage. After the few months that the dogs have been on duty in NRW, it is already clear that they are an absolute asset to the police. "The six of them have already made many finds and recovered important evidence," says the service dog handler happily. In the long term, there should be at least 20 operational data detection dogs available in NRW.
Service and family dog
Hank not only works with Peter Baumeister, he also lives with him, his wife and their three-year-old daughter. They go on vacation together and Hank is a real family dog in other ways too. Even when he goes into well-earned retirement at some point because he has become too old for the job, he will remain a member of the family. "With his nine years of service, Hank is already an old hand. He's still in top shape at the moment. Whether he will be licensed for another two years or will be allowed to retire will be decided next autumn," says Peter Baumeister.
