A recent meeting of the Region 4 Illinois Crime Prevention Association, hosted by the Des Plaines Police Department, was a major hit, thanks to a special presentation by Special Agent Mitch Kushner of the State Fire Marshal's Office and his black Labrador Retriever canine Nikki.

(Above) Special Agent Mitch Kushner of the State Fire Marshal's Office and his black Labrador Retriever canine Nikki demonstrate how accelerants can be detected.

Des Plaines Police Officer Neil Loewe, who is a member of the Association and who invited Mitch and Nikki to the January meeting, first encountered Nikki, an accelerant canine, when he was at a Conference with the Des Plaines Police Explorer Post #142 in Lisle. After watching the animal quickly respond to commands such as "seek" and "work," identifying even the smallest drop of gasoline, Loewe knew that the dog and her partner/trainer Mitch Kushner would be a welcome addition to the Crime Prevention Association Meeting.

"The dog was fascinating. By her response to certain commands she is able to locate trace accelerants at fire scenes. I knew that her presentation would give our Crime Prevention Association members an understanding of the role the State Fire Marshal's Office serves in arson investigation and show how canines are used as a highly efficient means of identifying the presence of accelerants at fire scenes," Officer Loewe said.

The use of canines in accelerant detection plays a vital role in fire investigations. Canines drastically reduce investigators' time on the scene, greatly increase the accuracy of samples sent to the laboratory, and assist in making use of heavy equipment more productive.

Nikki's performance is truly amazing and if you weren't a dog lover when you first met the seven-year old pooch, you may change your mind after watching her work a crowd. With an infectious personality and looks that can melt even the hardest of hearts, you can truly understand how the designation "man's best friend" came to be associated with these four legged beasts.

Agent Kushner, assigned to the Division of Arson Investigation, is a certified fire and arson investigator and has been an accelerant detection canine handler since 1992, when he and Nikki became partners. As partners, they both trained at the Maine State Police K-9 training facility. They are both certified annually in accelerant detection. Mitch and Nikki work within the northeast section of Illinois, covering the nine counties surrounding Chicago. They have also been called to work in Indiana and Wisconsin.

Nikki's twin brother, Mr. Watson, works in the northwest section of the State. K-9 Tracer, a chocolate Lab, works in the central section of the state and Chrissy, a black Lab, works the southern section.

Unlike most Labs, Nikki and other canines used for accelerant detection, are bred to be smaller, enabling them to walk through fire scenes without disturbing evidence and to be easily carried up ladders. Nikki weighs approximately 47 pounds and is quite portable.

Nikki is 98% accurate in identifying accelerants. She has found traces of accelerants as late as six months after a fire, has identified arsonists at the scene of a fire and has detected gasoline on the feet of a subject at a fire scene who had changed his socks and shoes! She recently helped arrest three juvenile arsonists in Harvey, aided in the conviction and the seven-year incarceration of an arsonist, and picked out a suspicious subject (later found to be guilty of arson) in a crowd of over 50 people.

So how does this work? When partner Mitch gives the signal to "work," Nikki, who at this point is leashed, moves quickly surveying and sniffing a scene. Once identifying an accelerant, any hydrocarbon petroleum based substance, the dog crouches down, paws at the spot and stares at the handler until the handler acknowledges the spot. If the handler does not immediately respond the dog proceeds to motion with her head, moving her nose from the spot to looking back at the handler. The dog will not proceed on until the handler has marked the accelerant. Food serves as stimulus for the dog.

What is really amazing is that the dog, unless given the signal from her handler, will not react to accelerant, thereby allowing him to walk through a gas station and not react. At the Illinois Crime Prevention Association Meeting Nikki laid calmly in the Des Plaines City

May 1996 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 15

Council Chambers with her head directly on an accelerant spot while her handler spoke to the group.

Nikki has assisted the Des Plaines Police Department at fire scenes on several occasions over the years. With a nose for more than just news, she is capable of detecting accelerant under huge piles of debris and even water.

According to Mitch, no taxpayer dollars are used for the purchase of canines such as Nikki by the State Fire Marshals Office. Dogs are frequently donated from the organization that trains seeing eye dogs, private individual donations and dog pounds. Additional funding for the canines is derived from the Police and Fire Chiefs Association, the Sheriff's Association, and through various insurance company resources. For the most part, accelerant canines are Labradors. Other breeds, such as Golden Retrievers and Blood Hounds, have been trained, but have not been found to be as efficient as the Lab.

Statewide, there are over 300 members in the Illinois Crime Prevention Association. The group is comprised mostly of crime prevention officers from police departments. It also includes representatives from a handful of security companies, security officials from private industry, as well as state and federal police departments. Over fifty crime prevention specialists from throughout the northwest suburbs attended the Crime Prevention meeting featuring Nikki. In addition to the Des Plaines Police Department, the following groups were represented: Itasca Police Department, Mt. Prospect Police Department, Lincolnshire Police Department, Oakton Community College, White Hen, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg Police Department, Arlington Heights, Winnetka Police Department, Morton Grove Police Department, Ameritech's Security Link, Addison Police Department, Hanover Park Police Department, Des Plaines Neighborhood Watch, Woodfield Security, Park Ridge Police, Federal Protection Services, Barrington Hills Police Department, Elk Grove Police Department and FAA Security.

For more information, contact Special Agent Mitch Kushner at the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Division of Arson Investigation, 1035 Stevenson Dr., Springfield, IL 62703, 217-782-6855. •

May 1996 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 16