Crime Scene Investigators Meet Newtown’s Finest With Fur

By Eliza Hallabeck

Newtown Police Officer Andrew Stinson’s canine partner Baro was a bit tired on Friday, July 9, when the pair visited students in Karen Pierce and Laurie Borst’s Crime Scene Investigators class, offered through Newtown Continuing Education’s SMART summer program, and the students laughed when Baro yawned.

The Friday morning presentation by Officer Stinson and Baro was a special event for the first time, nine-day-long, class.

Before Officer Stinson and Baro arrived, Ms Pierce began the class with a morning warm-up by drawing an image of a square with a half circle in the lower right and two parallel diagonal lines in the top left corner. Students were asked to brainstorm what the image could be. One student said the image could be Saturn and one of its rings, and another student said the image could show a blood cell traveling through an artery.

“As [crime scene investigators] we don’t get the whole picture,” said Ms Pierce. “We get snapshots, then we have to try to put them together.”

Just before the visitors were scheduled to arrive, Ms Pierce asked the students to brainstorm something else; questions they could ask about Baro and Officer Stinson.

The first thing students were curious about was how old Baro is, because if a dog is too old, they wanted to know if he or she could still work with the police. Students also wanted to know how long Baro trained for before coming to work with the Newtown Police Department.

Baro quickly curled up on the floor next to Officer Stinson after they arrived. Officer Stinson said Baro is used to working nights, and mornings can be a bit tough on him.

Baro is a 7-year-old German shepherd who lives with Officer Stinson when off duty. According to Officer Stinson, Baro will continue to work for the Newtown Police Department until he is no longer considered healthy enough to perform his job.

Off duty, Officer Stinson said, Baro acts like a normal dog. He plays fetch, steals food, and loves when Officer Stinson rubs his belly. On duty, he said, Baro has never lost a fight. As a rule, no one is allowed to touch Baro other than Officer Stinson.

“He is trained to find all the [different kinds of] illegal drugs that are out there,” said Officer Stinson, adding Baro has found all varieties since coming to work in Newtown. Officer Stinson and Baro also work beyond the Newtown border, adding Baro’s expert nose to investigations when needed.

When searching a crime scene, Officer Stinson said, Baro smells far beyond what a human nose can pick up.

“He is really not smelling the person,” said Officer Stinson, “he is smelling the changes in the ground.”

That is how Baro tracks for a missing person, whether a lost child, a wandering adult, or a criminal.

If Baro does come across anything, like a cigarette, money, or other items, he is trained to sit down and look at the item until Officer Stinson can come find it. To Baro, Officer Stinson said, searching a crime scene is a game. Trained dogs, whether searching for drugs, humans, or bombs, are taught using toys. In Baro’s case, according to Officer Stinson, a towel coated with the scent of a drug or other item is used. When Baro finds an item he is rewarded with praise from Officer Stinson.

Baro responds to commands in German, English, Czech, and hand signals, according to Officer Stinson.

Questions from students followed Officer Stinson’s presentation, and ranged from where investigators begin when searching a crime scene for clues to how to tell if a person is lying.