GLYNN COUNTY, Fla. — The Glynn County Police Department has a new member on the force: a 10-week-old bloodhound.
Chief was donated to the police department by the Jimmy Ryce Center which pairs AKC bloodhounds with law enforcement for cases of abducted and lost children.
His name was chosen in honor of former Chief of Police Chief Alexander who passed away last year.
The future K9 will be trained by the Polk County Florida Sheriff’s Office and the National Police Bloodhound Association. The K9 will be used to search for lost or missing children, dementia patients, and fleeing criminals.
Fun facts about bloodhounds.
True to legend, a bloodhound can track someone for miles just by keeping its nose to the ground Researchers estimate that a bloodhound’s nose consists of approximately 230 million olfactory cells, or “scent receptors” — 100 to 1,000 times greater than humans.
When a bloodhound sniffs a scent article (like a piece of clothing) an “odor image” is created. This image is far more detailed than a photograph is for a human. Using the odor image as a reference, the bloodhound is able to locate a subject’s trail, which is made up of a chemical cocktail of scents including breath and sweat vapor. You can read more here.