Thanks to a collaborative partnership with Our Rescue and kNot Today, the Vigo County Sheriff’s Office welcomed its first Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) K9 and the community of Terre Haute, Indiana will never be the same.
Do a quick Google search online for “ESD K9 Paddy Indiana” and you’ll see why Vigo County’s newest member of the Sheriff’s Department has been in the news lately. In April, the community of Terre Haute, Indiana, welcomed its very first Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) K9, Paddy.
At first glance, Paddy is a friendly, calm Golden Retriever but underneath that gentle exterior is a highly trained detection specialist with an extraordinary skill: the ability to locate hidden electronic storage devices by scent.
Paddy is trained to detect chemical compounds used in electronic devices like cellphones, USB drives, hard drives, and SD cards. Even when these items are concealed inside walls, buried under clothing, or tucked into hard-to-reach spaces, Paddy can identify their presence with remarkable accuracy. Devices like these are frequently used by predators to store or conceal digital evidence of child exploitation. Quickly retrieving that evidence can speed up investigations, help law enforcement identify and arrest suspects, and help prosecutors build stronger cases.
All in all, Paddy is a gamechanger for justice. Paddy’s handler, Deputy Darrick Scott of the Vigo County Sheriff’s Department, said a family-related experience brought the need for a K9 like this into sharp focus and made the mission deeply personal for him. That experience strengthened his commitment to undergo the extensive training and planning needed to bring this unique capability to both the department and the community he serves.
Our Rescue partnered with kNot Today, a nonprofit focused on preventing the sexual exploitation of children by working to equip law enforcement with critical tools and resources, to make this possible. ESD K9 Paddy was trained through Jordan Detection K9 and graduated the program in March of 2026 alongside Deputy Scott.
Together, the partnership between Our Rescue and kNot Today will support more than just the initial training, including ongoing care, yearly certification, and operational needs required to keep a K9 like Paddy active in the field and on his mission of helping to protect children.
We are honored to work with organizations that align with our efforts to help strengthen and diversify the resources that are available to law enforcement as they work to rescue children. This relationship lays the groundwork for future expansion, with the goal of placing more ESD K9s in communities where they are needed most.
Our Rescue’s ESD K9 Program relies on donor support. We are grateful for donations that have made it possible to bring K9s like Paddy to new law enforcement teams and the communities they protect and serve. K9 Paddy represents more than a new resource for this local team – he is a meaningful step toward better equipping the work that makes a real impact on the lives of vulnerable children.
Please give today so more ESD K9s can help protect children.
