Iris, a black Labrador retriever, is the FBI’s first digital media-sniffing dog. One of only seven certified electronics detection canines in the world, Iris is capable of detecting a chemical compound unique to data-storage devices.
Just as canines have been trained to sniff out accelerants, explosives and narcotics, Iris has been imprinted on the scent of a byproduct identified across the gamut of USB and hard drives, RAM chips, and memory cards. The common denominator in these parts is undisclosed for security purposes, but it allows Iris to track down hidden external drives, digital cameras containing SD cards, laptops and potentially iDevices, as well as disguised USB devices.
"She’s able to be used in any investigative means — from a post-blast scene to a drug case, terrorism case, counterintelligence cases, which she’s been used on multiple times," Special Agent Jeff Calandra, Iris’ partner, said in an FBI video about her.
To date, dogs with Iris’ ability have assisted in child pornography, homicide and fraud cases. Iris is stationed in the FBI’s Newark Field Office, but she is available to assist all FBI divisions, as well as federal, state and local partners.
