Police add scent-tracking dogs to squads

The Honolulu and Hawaii County police departments welcomed Thursday two new team members for missing-persons cases: Bella and Magnum, specially trained dogs who can track a lost person or fugitive by smell.

"It’s incredibly important for them to have these dogs because if they don’t have the right tools, then they can’t get started in searching for these missing persons," said Tom Sing, board member of the Friends of the Missing Child Center-Hawaii.

Bella, a bloodhound, will stay in Honolulu and train with HPD bloodhound Annie, who is nearing retirement after a decade-long police career.

Hawaii County is getting Magnum, a black Labrador retriever. The department has been without a scent-tracking dog since Tucker retired more than three years ago, Hawaii County Police Chief Harry Kubojiri said in a news release.

The dogs, called "scent-discriminating tracking canines," are trained to help police find missing children, lost hikers, people with dementia or other debilitating conditions, and escapees and fugitives.

Bella and Magnum were introduced at a news conference Thursday afternoon on the lawn outside Honolulu Police Department headquarters.

The Atherton Foundation and the Friends of the Missing Child Center-Hawaii provided the money to acquire the dogs, which typically cost $2,500 to $5,000 each.

"It’s a great day for us because we can continue our work with Hawaii’s Missing Child Center and HPD’s Missing Persons Section," said Sgt. Gregory Obara of HPD’s Specialized Services Division.

In 2010, 680 people were reported missing in Hono­lulu, and this year there have been 270 cases. Hawaii County police officials have had 97 missing-persons cases this year.

"Having these dogs can prove to be invaluable," said Capt. Randall Medeiros of the Hawaii County Police Department. "It ensures that we’re using every single tool available to locate and recover a missing person."

Reid Tagomori, an officer with HPD’s Missing Persons Section, said 98 percent to 99 percent of all missing-person cases are solved.

Police do not use scent-tracking dogs in all cases. They are used when there is likelihood that the missing person is in the area where he or she was last seen, such as a hiking trail. Then an article of clothing, usually an unwashed garment recently worn by the missing person, is given to the dog to sniff.

Obara said a bloodhound’s long snout and ears, loose skin surrounding the ears, and its endurance make it a skilled tracker. When it starts to sniff out a scent on a trail, its nose and ears make contact with the ground, "fluffing" scents upward, Obara said.

Annie has been used in 10 to 12 cases a year and has helped find about five people, HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu said. After Bella is trained, Annie will retire and live with her HPD handler Paul Vargas, who has worked with her since 2002.

"We exercise them but we don’t play with them, so when we finally need them to go out and help with a missing person, they’re excited and ready to go," Vargas said.

Bella will live and train with Rusty Radona, an HPD canine handler and Specialized Services officer.