When a person goes missing, dog teams are often called in to help them find their tracks. Often they can use an object or clothing that belonged to him to have the dogs follow his scent. But sometimes dog handlers are forced to sample the scent on a compress. “It can take half an hour. But in this kind of case, time is our enemy, ”explains Warrant Officer Patrick Lacoffrette.
This policeman of the dog team Lot therefore looked into the composition of human scent and the best way to be able to remove it quickly. During his research, he discovered that a polymer could capture fragrances. Associated with a pump system that he developed, he thus created his
“Odor Hunter”.
Collection in less than five minutes
“It’s a pump system with a filter holder that you insert. We put it near the phone, the sheet or even the weapon when it comes to a crime. The pump sucks in the odor in four to five minutes. It is deposited on the polymer which is then placed in a bag. We prepare the dog who will then be able to memorize it, ”explains the gendarme. In addition to its speed, the advance of its “Odor Hunter” also means being able to freeze the bag that contains the polymer, and thus keep the fragrance for several days.
After submitting his technology to the Criminal Research Institute of the National Gendarmerie which carried out tests to validate his samples, he used this new technique with his dog Maya. “When a suicidal person disappeared, I could not take clothes. We therefore quickly took a sample from the sheet. The dog then worked for 1 kilometer and found it seven minutes after starting to search, ”recounts Patrick Lacoffrette, who has already been awarded the first prize in the performance workshops of the gendarmerie, a sort of internal Lepine competition.
A technique that could also be used at crime scenes, “without the risk of polluting it,” continues Geo Trouvetou, whose dog has already participated this year in 51 search operations for missing persons.
Whenever possible, he prioritizes a piece of clothing or a pillowcase, for example, if he feels that the smell is reliable. “But if I have the slightest doubt, if the smell is wonky, mixed with that of other people, I will use the polymer so as not to complicate the task for the dog”, assures the gendarme who is in the running for a new one. competition from the Ministry of the Interior. His innovation could soon complete the array of dog teams, some of whose members have already contacted him. With only one ambition: “to save time”.