Kentucky Attorney General’s office says K-9 unit helps find hidden electronic storage in child exploitation investigations

A Kentucky Attorney General’s office said it uses a trained K-9 unit to find hidden electronic devices and storage media during investigations tied to child exploitation. WKYT reported that the office’s K-9 Charity is trained to locate an SD card the size of a thumbnail when it is concealed behind household surfaces, including behind a baseboard.

According to the report, the K-9 is part of the investigative support used when investigators need to locate electronic storage that may contain videos, images, messages, or other digital evidence. Finding hidden storage can be critical because investigators often encounter attempts to conceal evidence by placing it in spaces that are difficult to inspect quickly or thoroughly.

WKYT’s coverage described how the dog’s training allows it to alert to the presence of the concealed media. The demonstration described in the report centered on locating an SD card hidden behind a baseboard, illustrating the type of concealed placement investigators may face at real residences or other settings connected to allegations.

The use of K-9 units for evidence location is generally intended to assist, not replace, legal processes for obtaining and reviewing electronic information. In Kentucky and across the country, investigators still rely on court authorization and established procedures to seize, secure, and examine electronic evidence, and to ensure that any digital material is handled in a way that preserves integrity for later proceedings.

Child exploitation cases often involve large volumes of digital data, including content stored across multiple devices or media. When storage is concealed, investigators may need additional time, additional personnel, or specialized tools to ensure they have located all potentially relevant sources. WKYT’s report indicates the dog’s training is meant to improve the odds of discovering hidden storage early in an evidence-gathering effort.

No additional details were provided in the WKYT report about specific case outcomes or the number of cases in which the K-9 has been deployed. The report also did not outline step-by-step safeguards used in evidence handling beyond describing the K-9’s ability to detect concealed SD cards.

As Kentucky continues to pursue child exploitation investigations, the presence of trained detection resources highlights the broader practical challenge investigators face: locating concealed digital evidence reliably, within legal bounds, so it can be secured for charging decisions and later review in court.