Atlantic County Sheriff's Office Expands K-9, Search-and-Rescue Capabilities

MAYS LANDING — When a woman experiencing a possible medical emergency disappeared in Galloway Township last month, Atlantic County Sheriff's Officer Joseph Kleinow had a specialized partner available to help find her.

Kleinow gave bloodhound Keeper an article of the missing woman's clothing.

Keeper picked up her scent.

The team followed the trail into a wooded area off the White Horse Pike, where the woman was found stranded at the bottom of a drainage ditch and was able to receive medical attention.

The Aug. 4 rescue illustrates one of the capabilities Atlantic County Sheriff Joseph "Tokyo Joe" O'Donoghue says his department has been working to expand.

During an appearance this week on Off The Press with Scott Cronick on WOND, O'Donoghue pointed to K-9 operations, search-and-rescue equipment and Project Lifesaver as areas where the Sheriff's Office has increased its capabilities.

"We've done more with the same money," O'Donoghue said.

Four Specialized K-9 Teams

The Atlantic County Sheriff's Office currently lists four K-9 teams trained for missions including narcotics detection, explosives and weapons detection, and human tracking.

They include Keeper, a bloodhound used for man-trailing and tracking; Loki, a Dutch Malinois trained in explosives detection and weapons recovery; Pepper, a German shorthaired pointer used for explosives and weapons detection; and Zara, a Belgian Malinois trained for narcotics and tracking.

The teams undergo monthly in-service training, according to the Sheriff's Office.

O'Donoghue said the department has also developed an in-house K-9 trainer.

"We have our own trainer," O'Donoghue said. "We never had a trainer."

O'Donoghue said the arrangement gives the Sheriff's Office greater ability to develop its K-9 program and assist other agencies.

Keeper's recent deployment demonstrates how that training can translate into an actual emergency response.

Galloway Township police requested the Sheriff's Office's assistance Aug. 4 after a woman believed to be experiencing a medical emergency went missing.

Kleinow and Keeper were given an article of her clothing to establish a scent. The bloodhound tracked her into the wooded area, where she was located in the drainage ditch.

Going Off-Road

The Sheriff's Office is also adding motorcycles to its operations, including an off-road motorcycle that O'Donoghue says will primarily be used for search-and-rescue missions.

"Right now, we're just focusing on search and rescue," O'Donoghue said.

He said the motorcycle could help officers reach wooded or otherwise difficult terrain when searching for missing children, older adults or others who may be in danger.

The sheriff said the department also has two new street motorcycles that will eventually be used for traffic enforcement and special details once officers complete specialized training.

According to O'Donoghue, all three motorcycles were donated through the Cappaferri family and foundation and did not cost county taxpayers.

"Free to the taxpayer folks," O'Donoghue said. "That's my world. I love that."

O'Donoghue's account of the donation was made during the WOND interview; South Jersey NewsBeat did not independently verify the precise terms or value of the donation.

Protecting Residents Who Wander

Another component is Project Lifesaver, an established program aimed at quickly locating people who may wander because of cognitive or developmental conditions.

Atlantic County's Community Policing Unit lists Project Lifesaver among the services it provides, along with child and senior safety programs.

O'Donoghue said participants can wear small tracking devices that allow trained personnel to locate them if they disappear.

"We can track them," O'Donoghue said. "We can triangulate their location."

He said the program can be particularly valuable for children with autism and older adults with Alzheimer's disease.

Sheriff's Office Sees Countywide Support Role

O'Donoghue says the expanded capabilities are part of his view that the Sheriff's Office should supplement — rather than replace — municipal police departments.

"We are an augmentative agency, which means I don't want to encroach on somebody else's, but if they call us, we're going to do our best to get there," O'Donoghue said.

He said the department works with police agencies throughout Atlantic County and has sometimes been asked to assist outside the county because of specialized capabilities.

"We support 23 municipalities in this county," O'Donoghue said.

For O'Donoghue, the K-9 teams, tracking technology and off-road equipment are examples of how a county agency can provide specialized resources that individual municipalities may not have.

And in Galloway Township last month, one of those resources helped bring a search to a successful conclusion.

A bloodhound named Keeper picked up a scent — and led rescuers to the missing woman.