Stockton University had a different kind of student testing this week.
The Galloway Township campus played host to the United States Police Canine Association’s certification for explosive and electronic detection dogs.
About a dozen teams participated Wednesday, including Stockton’s own campus Police Chief Tracy Stuart.
An award-winning K-9 handler, Stuart was proud to bring the certification event to Stockton.
The day was not about who was best, but showing the outcome of the hard work done between handler and dog.
“K-9 is not just about you,” Stuart said. “You have to deal with the temperament, moods and feelings of another creature.”
Many times, if a dog has a bad run, it’s not about them, it’s likely the handler, she said.
It highlights the importance of the relationship between the partners.
The dogs started out with 18 cans, with six having explosives. Eleven of the cans have what are called distractors, or scents that could throw them off. One is empty.
The dog had to find all six cans to move on.
Next are 15 packages, with the dogs having to find the two that have the explosive.
There is a pound of TNT inside, but it’s not as easy as some may think, as there is only a small opening that the scent would come through, Stuart explained.
Hunter from Monmouth County zoomed through the packages, almost seeming puppy-like in his run. But he quickly kicked Package 4 as his first mark, then went through the packages and back before stopping at 11. He had located both correctly.
JoJo indicates explosives for his partner, Morris County Sheriff's Officer Travis Dean.JoJo, of the Morris County Sheriff's Office, would sit and give a look to Officer Travis Dean to show each choice he made.
Then there were five rooms, with two having explosives inside.
Last were five cars with two containing explosives.
“She killed it on the cars,” Stuart proudly said of her partner, Freya, a golden retriever who turned 9 on Feb. 1.
Freya is only Stuart’s second K-9. She had a long and rewarding career with her chocolate Lab, Hemi, who passed away in 2023, three years after his retirement.
The two were a dynamic duo, including back-to-back national championships in 2018 and 2019. The first year was special since Stockton was the host.
Wednesday’s event also included a electronic-detection team from the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office.
Walter, a German short-haired pointer, is one of only a few such dogs in the state.
Walter indicates to Detective Dan Farid what turns out to be a flash drive in a drawer.Detective Dan Farid took Walter through a separate certification in Stockton dorms off campus.
First there were three rooms where two had electronics hidden. Then there were five rooms, again with two having electronics.
Such a dog was used in the well-known case of former Subway spokesman Jared Fogel.
When investigators went looking for evidence of child pornography, the found nothing until a Labrador named Bear sniffed out a thumb drive.
Stuart now is looking ahead to what could be next, including a possible attempt at nationals set for Tulsa, Okla., this year.
