K9 Luna Pixel, a two-year-old Labrador Retriever, is Colorado Springs Police Department’s newest canine member who is trained to sniff out hidden electronic gadgets and devices from suspicious individuals. She is the first working dog in Colorado who has this special skill set.
K9 Luna will be working closely with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to help out in child exploitation investigations. She is trained to find thumb drives, laptops, hard drives, CDs, and DVDs because these are commonly used for child exploitation.
K9 Luna is acquired by the Colorado Springs Police Department because they needed a dog to help them out in finding individuals who are in the business of child exploitation. She is currently assigned to the Colorado Internet Crimes against Children (ICAC) task force. The Colorado ICAC is formed by federal and local law enforcement agencies and Colorado prosecutors who are all trained in protecting children online. The agency is tasked to investigate and prosecute criminals who committed crimes against children by the use of the Internet, the computer, and other technological means.
K9 Luna was trained for several months before she was deployed. She was trained to locate and detect electronic devices that could be used against the perpetrators. Jay Ingersoll, assistant special agent-in-charge, shared that criminals these days were becoming savvier and savvier in their efforts to profit from child exploitation.
K9 Luna was acquired with the use of the funds seized from illegal activities. Colorado Springs Police Department assured everyone that no taxpayer funds were not used for her acquisition.
HSI is committed to stopping the sexual exploitation of children, and with the help of K9 Luna, their investigation will be more thorough as she will help in finding evidence to be used against the perpetrators.
In 2019, the number of child exploitation cases has grown from 859 to 1,069. HSI has rescued more than 6,500 victims of child exploitation. Project Guardian is also instrumental in solving crimes against children.
We know that you can do the job well, K9 Luna!
Photos courtesy of ice.gov