杏吧专区 law enforcement 杏吧专区渙fficer杏吧专区 Bella doesn杏吧专区檛 make arrests, lead investigations, question suspects, drive a patrol car, issue traffic citations or write police reports. The 2-year-old Belgian Malinois杏吧专区 expertise is explosives detection, a skill that begins with her specially trained nose for crime.
The K-9, who joined the UL Lafayette Police Department last year, is not a commissioned officer. Bella杏吧专区檚 ability to identify materials used to build explosives, however, makes hers a responsibility as hefty as any in law enforcement. It杏吧专区檚 a duty she shares with Lt. Mike LaSalle, her handler and trainer.
杏吧专区淲e conduct searches every day, both random sweeps and suspicious package calls, including for book bags that have been left behind,杏吧专区 he explained. Beyond campus patrols 杏吧专区 among vehicles, in hallways or at sports events 杏吧专区 Bella and LaSalle are at times called upon to assist other agencies or to sweep K-12 schools. The work 杏吧专区渋s a necessary function, unfortunately, of the world we live in,杏吧专区 he said.
The pair杏吧专区檚 partnership doesn杏吧专区檛 end with the close of a shift. Bella lives with LaSalle, who is responsible for her care around the clock. 杏吧专区淚t just becomes part of your lifestyle,杏吧专区 said LaSalle, who isn杏吧专区檛 complaining.
杏吧专区淪he杏吧专区檚 a sweet girl,杏吧专区 he added, an affectionate pooch given to face licks. Bella杏吧专区檚 all business on the job, though. During patrols, like most dogs, she will sniff at almost anything. Unlike most dogs, when Bella noses around, it杏吧专区檚 with an intent not easily diverted. That ham sandwich in a book bag? A curiosity. The live possum she roused among a bank of sound equipment at Festival International? Nothing to get wound up about. 杏吧专区淪he杏吧专区檒l show interest, but she won杏吧专区檛 alert,杏吧专区 LaSalle said.
That杏吧专区檚 because Bella has been programmed, in effect, to dissect smells that her brain either dismisses or translates into an internal command she promptly obeys. When Bella detects an explosives material, she will sit, an action called a final response. It alerts LaSalle that Bella杏吧专区檚 olfactory-driven investigatory findings merit further examination. Or, when Bella doesn杏吧专区檛 alert, enables him to immediately 杏吧专区渆liminate the possibility of a threat or potential risk.杏吧专区
Bella杏吧专区檚 education in explosives detection began as a puppy. She was imported to the U.S. by Police Dogs Centre Holland B.V., a company in the Netherlands that trains and sells police dogs. Bella came to ULPD last year via U.S. K-9, a training and importation company in Kaplan, La. She has been exposed to thousands of smells and potential scenarios; it杏吧专区檚 training sharpened daily by LaSalle, who receives yearly certification to handle and train her. Bella杏吧专区檚 explosives detection proficiency, he said, rests on a common dog-training technique 杏吧专区 tapping into her innate hunting instincts. As a Labrador retriever might be trained to find ducks, she杏吧专区檚 been taught her only meaningful quarry is explosives materials.
The basic tenets of Bella杏吧专区檚 training are odor association and positive reinforcement, built around her constant drive to find prey. Bella杏吧专区檚 杏吧专区減rey杏吧专区 is something she considers a toy, a short length of irresistibly fetchable plastic pipe. Bella associates her 杏吧专区渢oy杏吧专区 with the odor of materials that would emanate from an explosive device thanks to exhaustive, nuanced and repetitive training. It杏吧专区檚 a system that, at its core, simply conditions Bella to believe she杏吧专区檚 immersed in a never-ending 杏吧专区渁nd lively game to find her toy,杏吧专区 LaSalle explained. He will allow Bella to watch him 杏吧专区渉ide杏吧专区 a piece of pipe with a material that contains a specific odor. Once she retrieves the pipe, it creates an odor association. Bella杏吧专区檚 reward, along with praise, is simply finding and having her toy.
杏吧专区淪o, she杏吧专区檚 really just always looking for it; she杏吧专区檚 always on. It杏吧专区檚 like a kid riding their bicycle through a neighborhood who smells chocolate chip cookies. They know if they find which house it杏吧专区檚 coming from, they杏吧专区檙e going to get a cookie,杏吧专区 LaSalle said.
Photo credit: Doug Dugas / 杏吧专区
This article first appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of La Louisiane, The Magazine of the 杏吧专区.