Arson dogs help put arsonists behind bars

Arson is serious business in the United States. Each year billions of dollars in property are lost and hundreds of lives are lost due to arson fires.  Proving arson can be difficult so investigators use dogs to help solve cases.  Dogs’ super sense of smell makes them the one of the most effective tools investigators use to solve arson cases.  Dogs can sense odors at more than a million times lower concentration than humans can. This makes them the perfect arson detector.

This week, dozens of arson dogs from across the country are in Horry County for recertification.  The latest FBI stats show nearly 63,000 arson fires were set in the U.S. in 2008.  But arson dogs and their partners are out to stop this crime.

David Ward and his partner, arson dog Callie are in North Myrtle Beach for their annual recertification. They team is from Fresno, California where they are members of the fire department. They cover all of central California’s fire investigations.  “Her investigations, to-date, this year are about 37 fires,” said Ward. “Not all of which were arson. Some of them were not arson, but that was the confirmation, that the dog confirming it was not arson. We’ve had over 150 fire scenes since august of 2006.“

Callie was trained under a scholarship by State Farm Insurance. Her findings are part of court cases to prosecute arsonists. “If we can put one person in jail with a dog, that’s the most important thing because that may stop a fatality down the line,“ said Ward.

Horry County’s arson dog, Navy collected 100 samples since his first fire scene. “Our first fire was the HB Spokes fire on Highway 9,” said James Cyganiawicz, Deputy Fire Investigator for the Horry County Fire Department. “Since then, we have investigated 158 fires.“

“Navy belongs the fire department, he’s Horry County’s arson dog, however, he comes home with me, stays with me, he’s part of my family. He’s more than a pet, he’s part of my family, he’s my partner.

Since the State Farm program started in 1993, 250 dogs and their handlers were trained. Ward said certification gives the dogs’ findings validity in court.