Hound has a nose for police work

JJ is considered the spokesdog for the Salt Lake City Police K-9 unit. And when JJ talks, people listen.

In fact, they really can't help but listen. With his foghorn-like bay, officers from blocks away know when JJ howls.

"It means the bad guy is going to be caught soon," said officer Chris Ward, also with the K-9 unit.

JJ is a 9-year-old bloodhound. He is considered by many the most successful K-9 in the unit's history and he is nationally recognized as, literally, one of law enforcement's top dogs.

JJ is a tracker, meaning he is only used to find people. He is not used to search for drugs or to apprehend a suspect.

In 6 1/2 years, JJ has made 216 "finds," or tracked down either outstanding suspects or missing people. His success rate is approximately one successful find for every three deployments, an incredibly high rate for a K-9.

Officer Mike Serio, JJ's owner and trainer, was named the Chief's Officer of the Year in 2002 and the Elk's Club Officer of the year in 2001. The duo commonly receives requests from all over the county and sometimes other parts of the country to assist in searches.

But getting JJ on the force wasn't automatic.

In fact, before the advent of JJ, the Salt Lake City Police Department had only used German shepherds. JJ had to prove himself, and he quickly became the little-dog-that-could.

Serio bought JJ when the pup was just 8 weeks old. It was the same time that he joined the police department himself.

"I didn't get him for law enforcement. I got him as a pet," he said.

Serio noticed that even as a puppy JJ had an uncanny ability to track people. Serio and his wife would play hide-and-seek games in the park and JJ would find them every time.

Because JJ's natural ability to track people seemed so advanced, Serio drew up a proposal for the city K-9 unit to add a bloodhound to the group. The breed was used much more by law enforcement agencies in the East.

Change never comes easily, and Serio said the department was a little hesitant at first, but agreed to give JJ a shot. One person who encouraged Serio to continue with the training was his then-sergeant, Chris Burbank, now the department's chief.

Immediately JJ created a buzz with his co-workers.