Acorn, an adorable, black Labrador Retriever, began training for Paws with a Cause, an organization that provides service dogs for people with disabilities. However, his desire to sniff everything got him kicked out of service dog training, but made him a great fit as an Accelerant Detection Canine (ADC).
Acorn and his human partner, Detective John Peters, graduated from the State Farm Arson Dog Program as the Westchester County Police Department’s second ever Accelerant Detection Team this past April. The State Farm Arson Dog Program has trained more than 425 canines in 46 states since 1993.
There are currently more than 100 certified teams trained through the program investigating suspicious fires throughout North America. State Farm provides the funding and the teams are trained by Maine Specialty Dogs under the authority of the Maine State Police. ADC Teams are each made up of a human handler and a canine partner trained to work together to locate potential evidence of arson following a fire.
While on a scene, Acorn’s job will be to alert Detective Peters to the location of an accelerant, such as gasoline or oil, that may have been used to start the fire. Detective Peters will then collect the evidence and send it to a laboratory for confirmation and identification. Each year, hundreds of lives are lost and billions of dollars’ worth of property damage occur as a result of fires set by arsonists.
The goal of the State Farm Arson Dog program is to combat arson and provide law enforcement officials with the tools to combat this deadly, costly crime. Labrador Retrievers are primarily chosen for the program because of their superior ability to discriminate scents at a fire scene. They also typically have good dispositions and outgoing personalities, and are very active.
Acorn became an official ADC on April 30, the same day his predecessor, Daisy, retired. Daisy’s well-deserved retirement comes after serving with Detective Peters on Westchester County Police Department’s first ever ADC Team since 2012. Like Acorn, Daisy originally began training for Paws with a Cause, but it was determined she would be a better fit for the State Farm Arson Dog Program.
“During her impressive career, Daisy assisted in more than 700 fire investigations, ranging from multi-million dollars loses to fatal cases,” says Detective Peters. “Daisy proved to be one of the most valuable tools in these investigations.” Daisy and Detective Peters not only served the residents of Westchester County, but also assisted within seven neighboring counties under mutual aid agreements.
“When not investigating suspicious fires, Daisy participated in hundreds of public relations details, visiting groups ranging from pre-school students through senior citizens,” adds Detective Peters. “The ADC is an invaluable resource for police and fire agencies in Westchester County,” says Westchester County Police Commissioner Thomas A. Gleason. “We are grateful to State Farm for its ongoing partnership and for its support of this important program. I thank Daisy for her service and we welcome Acorn to the Westchester County Police.” Daisy will spend retirement simply being the beloved pet of the Peters’ family, along with their pit-bull, Toby.
