Photo: Dog’s ‘free air sniff’ led to local arrest

*Above video is from a segment on Fox 8 showing a K9 expert give tips on dog training*

AKRON, Ohio (WJW) — From big drug busts to smaller ones, a German shepherd named Jaro is always ready to get to work.

Akron police said K9 Jaro played a key role in helping an officer with a drug bust when Jaro conducted a “free air sniff,” after a traffic stop for a moving violation on Williams Street Tuesday afternoon.

“Based on the officer’s investigation and responsible suspicions that drugs were in the vehicle, she deployed her K9 partner Jaro, who was guided around the car’s exterior for a free air sniff,” said Captain Michael Miller.

A K9 “free air sniff” is when a police dog sniffs the air around the outside of a vehicle during a traffic stop and was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States several times since 2005.

While this case wasn’t a trunk full of drugs, police reported that a variety of drugs were found in a purse.

“Jaro alerted on or at the driver’s door and directed the officer to a purse inside the vehicle,” Miller said. “Recovered during the search were 22 grams of methamphetamines, 7 grams of hashish, over two dozen Alprazolam pills, a bottle of hashish oil and drug paraphernalia.”

The driver, a 34-year-old woman, was later charged with several counts of possession of drugs and illegal use of drug paraphernalia, Miller said.

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