FREEHOLD – The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office welcomed a new member to the team whose excellent sense of smell will be able to sniff out any crime.
After 12 weeks of intense training with his handler S/O Michael Mindo, 11-month-old bloodhound Reese is officially a part of the Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit.
“Reese will be a significant asset to our K9 Unit, since his sole purpose is to locate individuals,” Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said. “Through tracking and trailing, this highly trained K9, with a stronger sense of smell than any other breed, will assist the sheriff’s office and local police departments in apprehending criminals, locating missing persons and those with special needs.”
Reese, who came to the agency from the Spring River Bloodhounds in Missouri, is now one of three bloodhounds in the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit.
It’s stated at that a bloodhound’s nose has 230 million olfactory cells, or “scent receptors” which is 40 times the number in people. Bloodhounds are trained to track skin cells from humans.
Usually, each K9 team must complete a state-mandated 10-week training course at a certified K9 training facility. However, Reese and S/O Mindo trained for 12 weeks with bloodhound instructors from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office. Training consists of sent tracking in rural, urban and residential areas and through bodies of water, the woods, fields, creeks and garbage, as well as parking lots and busy roadways.
The Sheriff’s Office K9 units go through diligent ongoing training programs to maintain proficiency in basic skills and ensure continued effective performance in the field. After completing their initial training, Sheriff’s K9 teams must maintain at least eight hours of in-service training each month.
“I’m grateful to Sheriff Golden and the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office for providing Reese and me with this opportunity,” S/O Michael Mindo said. “During training, Reese’s determination and persistence was exceptional. I’m confident that he will be a great addition to the K9 Unit.”
Currently, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office is comprised of eight sheriff’s officers and 10 K9s. The Unit includes three tracking teams, three narcotics teams, two explosive detection teams and two explosive/patrol teams.
