Press
Meet Remi, Tennessee’s first police dog who sniffs out electronics to help protect children
May 31, 2018
On her first day on the job, the newest member of the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office bounded over a black suitcase.
Remi — a 2-year-old black Labrador — had discovered a small memory card inside the piece of luggage.
“Good job, Remi,” said Detective Lee Eaves, her handler. He chucked a red ball across the room as a reward for her search.
Remi is the first electronic detection dog attached to a law enforcement department in Tennessee. The pup specializes in sniffing out electronics, such as cell phones, tablets, flash drives and SD cards.
She started with the department May 18.
What Remi will do
Remi and her handler will assist investigators on the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The department established the force last year.
“When you issue search warrants — especially in child abuse cases — you look for electronic media to see if any of those images are stored,” Long said. “This will be a way we can verify that we did or didn’t find it in a search. We can use [Remi to] recover thumb drives and data off of phones.”
Remi will also help search for contraband cell phones at the Williamson County Jail and be featured in presentations about internet safety and cyber bullying at the county’s schools.
“She’s got such a friendly disposition,” Eaves said with a smile. “We will be using her as an ambassador and occasionally a mascot for our task force.”
Where the dog came from
Remi came at no cost to the taxpayers, Sheriff Jeff Long said.
Nashville K-9 purchased, donated and trained the dog. Remi and Detective Eaves began training at Nashville K-9 in December 2017. She joins six other dogs in the department’s K-9 unit.
“It’s exciting, and it’s new to our community to help fight crime,” Long said. “We are lucky in Williamson County that we have businesses and partners to get the assets we need to do our job. We are always happy to get the lead here in Williamson County.”
Nashville K-9 provided a certification for Remi that included searches in suitcases, vehicles, furniture, clothing and jail cells.