How a K9 is Fighting to Protect Children from Exploitation

Today, Tim and Matt are joined by Joel Pabelico, senior investigator within the DA’s office in Riverside County. Joel has the very special assignment of being the handler of K9 Chewie, one of our K9 dogs that we sponsored to be trained with Jordan Detection K9. In this episode, Joel shares how K9s are trained to sniff out electronics in search warrants, and how a dog can be used to fight child crimes. Joel works predominantly in child sexual abuse material cases where suspects tend to hide illicit photos and videos on devices that are easily concealed. This includes USBs, SD cards and cell phones. So how does a dog smell out images of victimized children? ESDs, or electronic scent detection K9s, are trained to identify specific chemical odors that are present in digital devices. Joel talks us through the process of executing a search warrant with a K9 and gives examples of interesting behaviors that the dog will display when a particular scent has been detected. Chewie and Joel were paired up on day one of training and he talks about their deep bond that can’t compare to any other type of relationship. K9 dogs like Chewie have been instrumental in many child crime rescues and Joel shares a notable case they cracked together in Riverside County involving a livestream. Make sure you check out Chewie’s Instagram account where Joel posts photos to commemorate these operations and spread awareness to help combat this type of crime. Chewie’s Instagram: This work is never done and Operation Underground Railroad needs your help to rescue as many children as possible. To help us carry out more operations, please head to and thanks for listening. In The Trenches Podcast: - Apple: - Spotify: - Website: Want to get more involved with Operation Underground Railroad? - Website: - Donate: - Instagram: - Facebook: - Twitter: - LinkedIn: - TikTok: @ourrescue #policedog #children #abuse #contrabandpolice #k9 #humantraffickingstories #undergroundrailroad #podcast #awareness #ourrescue #timballard Please note that while we strive to present accurate and up-to-date information, we may occasionally make errors or present facts that are not entirely precise. We encourage our listeners to do their own research and fact-checking, and we cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies.