BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Police Department has a new tool in its arsenal for tracking down digital evidence: a dog named Poppy.
Poppy is a black Labrador and electronic storage detection K9 who joined the department earlier this year. Her handler is Detective Nicholas Kalczynski of the Communications Crime Unit.
"She is trained to sniff out and locate any electronics that are gonna store data," Kalczynski said. "Thumb drives, hard drives, cell phones, SD cards, micro SD cards, things of that nature."
Poppy is trained to detect triphenylphosphine oxide, a fire retardant found in most electronics. During a demonstration, she located items as small as a mini SD card and as common as a cell phone hidden out of plain sight.
"In the digital age, we're seeing more and more crimes affiliated with electronic storage, and because storage is getting smaller and smaller — but still capable of holding larger and larger amounts of data — it's more difficult for us as people, as detectives, to find everything," Kalczynski said.
WATCH: Meet Poppy, the Buffalo Police Department's electronic-sniffing K9
Poppy came to the Buffalo Police Department through the U.S. Secret Service's National Computer Forensics Institute, which trains the dogs and then trains their handlers how to work with them.
The duo has already been called out on several occasions, working with surrounding agencies, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations.
Many of the cases Poppy is involved in relate to internet crimes against children, including images of child sexual abuse. Kalczynski said the department is also using Poppy's image to promote online safety for children.
"So, turning Poppy into a sticker in an avatar, we want to put out a reminder, online safety for kids," Kalczynski said. "Make friends in the real world, connect with them online, not the other way around. And for parents, be aware of who your kids are interacting with and talking to."
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