POST FALLS — His first day on the job, Post Falls Police Department K-9 Uno curled up at the feet of his partner, Detective Jason Cope, during his introduction to the Post Falls City Council on Tuesday. 

Interim Chief Jason Mealer said the yellow lab can sniff out electronic devices related to child pornography and related crimes. 

“We're really thankful to have Uno on the team," Mealer said. "We’re looking forward to his capabilities and helping us find and get bad people off the streets." 

Cope is Uno's handler. He's also a computer forensics investigator working in the department’s cyber lab. 

Post Falls police are members of the Internet Crimes Against Children task force. Mealer said ICAC cases are on the rise. 

“We want to go out hard after those people — this dog will give us the tools to do that — to find hidden electronics that people have child pornography hidden in their house,” Mealer said. 

Cope said 3-year-old Uno is the only dog in North Idaho and the closest to Ada County, with electronic detection capabilities. He can also detect illegal digital content stored on USB drives, memory cards and hard drives.

The duo will assist throughout the region to execute search warrants related to what Cope called “some of the most heinous crimes.” 

Uno and Cope trained together for two weeks. Uno has undergone an additional six months of electronic detection training at Jordan Detection K9. 

The Post Falls Police Department secured Uno through a program offered by the U.S. Secret Service National Computer Forensics Institute. Mealer said dogs like Uno with this type of training can cost up to $17,000. But the only costs the Post Falls PD has to cover are food and veterinary needs. 

Another proposed application of Uno’s skills is in cases regarding estranged relationships. 

"They suspect that there might be tracking devices in their car or under their car and it’s hard to find that as a human,” Mealer said. 

If an AirTag or other item is among a person’s possessions, Uno would be able to locate a tracking item in an unexpected location. 

“We can’t find them as humans without ripping your car apart, where he can find it by smelling it,” Mealer said. 

City Councilor Samantha Steigleder said having Uno is in the best interest of Kootenai County and the region, to protect kids and catch people who exploit them. 

“I wanted to say thank you to you both for making that sacrifice and that commitment,” Steigleder said.

 K9 Uno can sniff out electronic devices containing illicit materials for the Post Falls Police Department and other regional law enforcement groups.