Bloodhound named Liz specifically trained to find missing persons
The newest member of the Will County sheriff’s office will use her nose to help locate a missing person.
Liz, a 10-month-old scent discriminate bloodhound, is the seventh dog to join the sheriff’s specialized dog unit. The department also has one explosive detective dog and five narcotics sniffing dogs. The department’s latest addition is specially trained to track a person’s scent.
Liz is teamed with her handler, Deputy Martin Stortz, and is part of Sgt. Jeff Pogose’s specialized dog unit. Liz is named after Elizabeth Smart, who gained national attention in 2002 when she was abducted from her home in Utah at age 14 and found nine months later.
“Liz and her handler are going to save lives,” said Paul Coley, a former FBI forensic canine operations specialist and CEO of Scent Evidence K9, the Florida-based company that trained Liz.
The sheriff’s office decided on naming their newest addition after discussions with Scent Evidence K9 and the Elizabeth Smart Foundation. Liz is part of Scent Evidence K9’s “Hero Litter,” named after missing persons or those who worked in locating missing persons.
So far this year, the sheriff’s office has taken 174 missing persons reports. The addition of Liz will help in many of those searches, particularly for at-risk populations such as young children or those living with Alzheimer’s, officials said Thursday. While the other dogs in the sheriff’s specialized dog unit are trained to track scents, Liz is specially trained to be scent discriminate allowing her to hone in on just one scent.
“Having resources like Liz will definitely help our most vulnerable population,” said Sterling Crockett, executive director of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation. He said that having a dog named after Smart also helps bring more attention to the issue of missing persons.
Sheriff Mike Kelley said his office is now offering scent preservation kits that can provide a useful tool if a loved one ever goes missing. The kit provides a way to collect and preserve a person’s unique scent.
The scent is collected by swiping sterile gauze under the arm 10 times and then storing the sample in an evidence grade jar. The unique scent sample can be stored in the jar for up to 10 years and can prove to be a useful tool for a bloodhound if a loved one goes missing.
“This is a very proactive approach that we’ve taken to better serve our citizens,” Kelley said.
The sheriff’s office has 500 kits available for distribution, with a focus on serving at-risk juveniles and adults. The kits can be picked up at the sheriff’s office, 16911 Laraway Road, Joliet.
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