NAMPA, Idaho — The Idaho Office of Attorney General has a new weapon in the search for child exploitation in Idaho, and his name is Badger, a specially trained canine who can detect electronic storage devices.
Badger is an electronic storage detection canine capable of finding devices as small as micro SD cards that could contain evidence in child exploitation cases.
"Badger is an electronic storage detection canine. He is capable of detecting anything that stores media on it with a circuit board. And so it's going to include cell phones, flash drives, micro SD cards, [and] laptops. He'll even smell air tags and hidden cameras, any of that stuff he'll find," Lauren Lane explained.
Lane is an investigator with the Internet Crimes Against Children unit, which works with Badger daily.
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The specialized canine hunts for the smell of TPPO (Triphenylphosphine oxide), a chemical compound sprayed on electronic memory devices to prevent overheating.
During a demonstration at the Idaho News 6 studio, Badger quickly located hidden flash drives, phones, and even a micro SD card concealed under a bench.
But Badger isn't just trained to find electronics. He's also a registered therapy dog who provides emotional support to both victims and investigators.
"We obviously are dealing with child sex abuse material on a daily basis. Us, as investigators, the prosecutors, the analysts are dealing with it on a daily basis, and it's difficult stuff to be around, right? And so as a therapy dog, he is just here in our office. He goes to work with me every single day. He sits in my office. So he's available for pets," Lane said.
The therapy aspect of Badger's role extends beyond supporting law enforcement personnel.
"On search warrants, sometimes we have victims or family members that are present. And these dogs can be there to help calm them, to support them through these awful situations, which has happened a few times before with these dogs," Lane said.
Badger has his own social media presence on Instagram, and Lane offers demonstrations for organizations interested in learning more about their work.
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