DogExpress
UNDATED – Arson is one of the most expensive property claims in the United States.
Each year billions of dollars in property damage and hundreds of lives are lost as a result of fires set by arsonists. That is why State Farm® teams up with law enforcement across the nation to support the re-certification process for specially trained canines
Lillian Hardy and K9 Misty with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security
Two Indiana teams – Lillian Hardy and K9 Misty with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and Fire Investigator Brandon Eckstein and K9 Jersey with the Marion Fire Department – were trained through the State Farm Arson Dog Program and investigate suspicious fires throughout the state.
The teams recertified with a national trainer located in Maine through the use of virtual technology. Under normal circumstances, arson dog teams would have joined arson dog teams from across North America to train and certify in person, however, to ensure the safety of all trainers and handlers, this certification took place virtually.
Arson dog teams are trained to locate potential evidence of arson following a fire. The dog alerts the handler, usually a firefighter or law enforcement official, to the specific location of an accelerant (gasoline, oil, fuel) and the handler collects the evidence for laboratory confirmation.
This evidence is vital to an arson investigation and in the prosecution of this deadly crime.
Source: WBIW, Not edited by DogExpress staff
in Chandigarh, India. 
