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NEWS: Sniffer dogs kick cocaine for talc

B

Bent

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Joined
Apr 4, 2000
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Too farkin' funny...

Sniffer dogs can't get enough of that baby powder

Sniffer dogs kick cocaine for talc
May 20, 2005 - 8:42AM


Cocaine used to train Victorian sniffer dogs has been switched for talcum powder, prompting a large-scale police investigation.

The Australian newspaper today reported that the Victorian sniffer dogs had lost their ability to trace drugs but had an unusual ability to track down baby powder.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP), VicPol and the Victorian Office of Police Integrity have all launched corruption investigations into the case.

The drugs had been supplied by the AFP to help train the dogs.

Victorian police internal affairs sources told the newspaper it was most likely the drugs were switched in Victoria.

However, they could have been incorrectly identified as cocaine by AFP initially, the sources said.

Victorian Police Assistant Commissioner Paul Evans said test results were needed before the issue could be taken further.

"The Ethical Standards Department is waiting for results of forensic testing of cocaine used in the training of Victoria police dogs," he told the newspaper.
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- AAP
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=D That's gotta be the funniest thing I've read in a long while...and on my birthday as well. I want to know how many innocent babies have had their nappies rummaged through ;)
 
This is the article from the Australian mentioned in the original post. The second paragraph below is a classic.

Cocaine switched for talcum powder
By Padraic Murphy
May 20, 2005

POLICE sniffer dogs in Victoria have lost their ability to trace drugs after a batch of cocaine used to train them was apparently switched for talcum powder.

The switch was discovered during routine tests in the past fortnight when the dogs ignored bundles of cocaine, but showed unusual prowess in tracking baby powder.

Three separate corruption investigations have been launched to find out what happened to cocaine supplied by the Australian Federal Police to train the sniffer dogs.

Victorian police internal affairs sources said it was likely the drugs were switched after coming to Victoria, although it was possible the cocaine was simply incorrectly identified by the AFP.
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After informing the Office of Police Integrity that The Australian was aware of the apparent drug switch, VicPol confirmed an investigation had begun.

"The Ethical Standards Department is waiting for results of forensic testing of cocaine used in the training of Victoria police dogs," Assistant Commissioner Paul Evans said.

"An initial forensic analysis of the cocaine identified a discrepancy in a sample and further tests are being conducted on other samples."

The AFP, VicPol and the Victorian Office of Police Integrity have all begun separate inquiries into how the drugs were substituted.

Opposition police spokesman Kim Wells said the latest incident again showed the need for an independent commission into Victoria Police.

"It's very unlikely the cocaine was mis-identified as talcum powder. We want an immediate investigation from the chief commissioner of police and an explanation as to how this could have happened," Mr Wells said.

"This is a very serious matter indeed." Victorian Police Minister Tim Holding rejected calls for an independent commission and said Victoria's Office of Police Integrity was the most appropriate body to monitor police behaviour.

"This incident shows what a bad idea a royal commission would have been," Mr Holding said.

"What we have now is an independent office of investigators which can deal with these matters as they arise.

"A royal commission would simply have delivered a snapshot of the force 18 months ago and not been able to deal with incidents such as this."

Victoria's powerful Police Association has also resisted sustained calls for an independent commission of inquiry into the conduct of their members.

An AFP spokeswoman confirmed they were looking at the incident. "We are aware of the issue but I am not in a position to comment any further," a spokeswoman said.

This is the latest in several alleged drug thefts by Victoria Police.

In June 2001, drug squad detective Geoffrey William "Billy" Gunn died after taking an overdose of amphetamines allegedly stolen from Melbourne criminals.

Recent high-profile arrests involving VicPol sniffer dogs included drug busts at two large rave parties.

In March, police used sniffer dogs to arrest 46 people and charge them with possessing amphetamines, ecstasy and marijuana at a Two Tribes dance party at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena.

And in January, 22 people were arrested for drug possession at the annual Summadayze dance party at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne.

The sniffer dogs detected more than 35 people with illegal drugs as they patrolled people queuing to enter.
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From News.com.au
 
Oh dear! what will they do!?

Although it shouldn't be, I find this really funny!
 
Update from The Age, even the police are chipping in with a few one liners.

Sniffer dogs kick cocaine for talc
By Jane Bardon
May 20, 2005 - 10:14AM

Victoria Police have admitted they made an "embarrassing" bungle by training sniffer dogs to detect talcum powder instead of cocaine.

An audit of cocaine used in dog squad training last week discovered a "very small amount" missing, Assistant Commissioner Paul Evans said.
And a sachet used for training the dogs contained a bag of talc, not cocaine.

Mr Evans said Victoria Police obtained the cocaine from drug hauls by the Federal Police, who are assisting the probe into how the sweet-smelling powder came to be in place of a cocaine sample.

"There's been a breakdown in procedure somewhere, and we'll backtrack the processes to see what we can find," Mr Evans told ABC radio.

"This is embarrassing to us, but we have solid audit processes in place in areas where drugs are in possession. We are talking about every small amounts of drugs being used in training the dog squad.

"The fact that this was picked up in one of our regular audits shows our processes are working well."

Mr Evans said the sniffer dogs could not be put to work until they had been retrained to sniff for drugs instead of talc.

"I'm sure the dogs have very soft noses at the moment,'' he said. "If there are any lost babies in Victoria they'd come in handy.

"But I'm sure they can be retrained."
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From The Age

Sometimes I just love being a Victorian. We might have saliva testing, but it's more than compensated for by our unbelievably corrupt police.

=D
 
Another update. Looks like they just labelled the wrong package... apparently samples of talcum powder are also provided by Federal Police for sniffer dog training.

Sniffer dogs are also trained to sniff for talcum powder, while itself not an illicit substance, is usually a good indicator that an invidual performs the 'Melbourne Shuffle', a dance performed by drug users after consuming massive amounts of the illegal club drug ecstacy.

=D

No drugs missing in sniffer dog 'error'
May 20, 2005 - 2:52PM

Victoria Police haven't ruled out foul play after a sniffer dog squad was trained to detect talcum powder instead of cocaine.

However, they say an administrative error is more likely to blame for talcum samples being substituted for the drug during the dogs' training.

Victoria Police ethical standards department, which is investigating, said the samples provided and used in training were "very small".

Assistant Commissioner Paul Evans said no drug samples were missing.

It appeared that drug samples provided by the Federal Police for training were mislabelled, he said.

As a result, cocaine dealers may have eluded the seven dogs, which have been at work on Melbourne's streets and in nightclubs since they were trained in January.

Police conceded that the dogs were well equipped to sniff out heroin, amphetamines and ecstasy - and, as a result of the "embarrassing" slip, missing babies.

An ethical standards department investigation will be overseen by the Office of Police Integrity, and federal police are also investigating.

"At this stage it doesn't appear that it is anything more sinister than an administrative error, but it's always possible, and that's why we're having a full investigation," Mr Evans told reporters.

"We're going to have to back-track all of our internal processes to see where the fault occurred."

Cutting agents

The Federal Police regularly provides raw samples seized from drug dealers to Victoria Police for training purposes, and these often contain cutting agents such as talcum powder, Mr Evans said.

Samples provided by the AFP are tested for purity before being sent to Victoria Police.

"It does appear as though that upon receiving the package, that certain things weren't recorded properly as they should have been, and the mistakes were made in the recording," Mr Evans said.

"We know that in the package the federal police provided us with, there was a sample of talcum powder, as they've got that recorded. But it's still early in the investigation," he said.

The samples provided and used in training were "very small," Mr Evans said.

"We check the weight and purity of the samples as part of our audits every three months, so we're quite satisfied that the checks and balances we have in place work to find out issues like this."

Funny side

Victoria Police is taking the matter seriously but the force can also see the funny side of having to retrain the dogs.

"We've got a number of dogs out there trained very effectively in detecting talcum powder.

"So even though this is a very serious issue and very embarrassing for the organisation, it is a bit amusing that I'm sure we can find any missing babies today fairly quickly," Mr Evans said.
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From The Age
 
Anyone catch the great cartoon in the Herald Sun on Sunday? A couple sniffer dogs racking up and getting pissed they'd been short-changed on the coke!
 
Thats gold.

It made me think though when they give drugs to the dogs so they know what their looking for I wonder who cuts up the lines for the pups, it would be pretty hard to hold the card with paws =D
 
Sniffer dog talc case a bungle, say detectives
By John Silvester
August 1, 2005

It was a scandal not to be sniffed at. Drug dogs supposed to find cocaine were unwittingly trained with a bag of white substance later found to be pleasant-smelling talcum powder.

Seven police dogs — which senior police later admitted were better equipped to find a freshly powdered baby than a drug dealer — had to be retrained after the discovery.

The story of the talcum-sniffing Victoria Police dogs excited worldwide interest, including from the BBC and CBS news services and the US Marijuana Party.

But an Office of Police Integrity investigation has found the truth in the axiom that given the choice between a conspiracy or a stuff-up, you should back the stuff-up every time.

In January two Victoria Police dog squad members went to the Australian Federal Police headquarters in La Trobe Street to take possession of cocaine seized in raids to train the dogs. They took three bags containing a total of 245 grams of powder, signed the appropriate forms and headed back to the dog squad.

On May 20 during a routine audit, laboratory tests found one bag, marked NPSD, was filled with 78 grams of talcum powder.

Which, on reflection, was hardly surprising as the initials NPSD is a chemist code for "no prohibited substances detected". In other words, there was no cocaine in the bag when it was given to the Victoria Police.

The Office of Police Integrity report will recommend that Victoria Police tighten procedures so that drug samples accepted for training are weighed and tested.

An OPI spokesman said: "The report indicates that all the drugs are accounted for."

Assistant Commissioner Paul Evans said it took only about a week to retrain the dogs with cocaine samples. "Now they are able to find drugs and babies."
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From The Age
 
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