EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. — The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office has added a new specialist to its High-Tech Crimes Unit — one with four legs, a powerful nose and a very specific job.
K9 Cooper is an Electronic Storage Detection, or ESD, dog trained to locate electronic devices by detecting a chemical compound associated with electronic components. That capability can give investigators another way to find phones, storage devices and other electronics that may be deliberately concealed or missed during a conventional search.
For El Dorado County detectives investigating crimes in which digital evidence could be critical, the capability is designed to close a significant gap.
Cooper was awarded to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office by the United States Secret Service. The Sheriff’s Office said its High-Tech Crimes Unit was selected as one of 14 law enforcement agencies nationwide to receive an ESD K9, based on the agencies’ work investigating crimes involving digital evidence and their efforts to combat online predators, child exploitation and human trafficking.
A K9 trained for the digital age
Unlike traditional police dogs trained to detect narcotics, explosives or human scent, Cooper’s specialty is tied to the materials used in electronic devices.
His training allows him to locate electronic equipment even when investigators cannot readily see it. According to the Sheriff’s Office, that includes devices that have been intentionally hidden, overlooked during a search or submerged underwater.
The distinction matters in investigations involving digital evidence. A small storage device, cellphone or other piece of electronics can potentially contain evidence that investigators need to identify and preserve.
The U.S. Secret Service has increasingly worked with state and local law enforcement agencies on digital investigations and forensic evidence. Its National Computer Forensics Institute, based in Hoover, Alabama, provides specialized training to state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement personnel in digital evidence collection and analysis.
The Secret Service reported that its NCFI program trained 5,769 state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges during calendar year 2024.
Detective Cuddeback and Cooper
Cooper’s handler is Detective Cuddeback, who is assigned to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office High-Tech Crimes Unit.
Cuddeback and Cooper recently completed an intensive, multiweek training program with Jordan Detection K9 at the U.S. Secret Service’s National Computer Forensics Institute in Alabama.
The training was conducted by Todd Jordan, a retired firefighter and investigator who became nationally known for his work with electronic-storage detection dogs.
Jordan’s background includes training an ESD K9 that located digital evidence during the investigation of former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle. An American Kennel Club account of electronic-detection K9s reported that Jordan’s first certified ESD dog, Bear, located a thumb drive containing child sexual abuse material during a search connected to the Fogle investigation.
Jordan subsequently developed a specialized training program for electronic-detection dogs and their law enforcement handlers.
Focus on crimes against children
The Sheriff’s Office said Cooper will primarily be deployed in investigations involving crimes against children, child exploitation and human trafficking.
He also can be used in other serious criminal investigations when detectives have reason to believe electronic evidence may be hidden.
That makes Cooper a specialized investigative tool rather than simply another member of the Sheriff’s K9 program.
The High-Tech Crimes Unit handles investigations in which computers, phones, storage media and other digital devices can become important evidence. The Secret Service describes NCFI-trained officers as partners in investigations requiring the identification, extraction and analysis of digital forensic evidence from electronic devices and networks.
For local investigators, Cooper adds a capability that can be used before a device ever reaches the forensic examination stage: finding it.
A new resource for El Dorado County investigators
The Sheriff’s Office credited the United States Secret Service, the U.S. Secret Service Sacramento Field Office, the National Computer Forensics Institute and Jordan Detection K9 for helping bring Cooper and the new capability to El Dorado County.
The agency described Cooper’s arrival as an important addition to its investigative resources.
“We’re excited to have Cooper part of the team!” the Sheriff’s Office said in announcing the new K9.
The arrival comes as law enforcement agencies increasingly confront crimes in which digital devices are central to an investigation. The Secret Service’s national network of law enforcement partnerships reflects that broader shift, with its Cyber Fraud Task Forces and NCFI programs supporting state and local agencies dealing with increasingly complex electronic evidence.
In El Dorado County, Cooper gives detectives another tool when the evidence they are looking for may be small, hidden and easy to overlook.
And sometimes, finding it starts with a nose.
Sources
U.S. Secret Service — National Computer Forensics Institute
U.S. Secret Service — Field Offices and Cyber Fraud Task Forces
