JJ is considered the spokesdog for the Salt Lake City Police K-9 unit. And when JJ talks, people listen.
In fact, they really can't help but listen. With his foghorn-like bay, officers from blocks away know when JJ howls.
"It means the bad guy is going to be caught soon," said officer Chris Ward, also with the K-9 unit.
JJ is a 9-year-old bloodhound. He is considered by many the most successful K-9 in the unit's history and he is nationally recognized as, literally, one of law enforcement's top dogs.
JJ is a tracker, meaning he is only used to find people. He is not used to search for drugs or to apprehend a suspect.
In 6 1/2 years, JJ has made 216 "finds," or tracked down either outstanding suspects or missing people. His success rate is approximately one successful find for every three deployments, an incredibly high rate for a K-9.
Officer Mike Serio, JJ's owner and trainer, was named the Chief's Officer of the Year in 2002 and the Elk's Club Officer of the year in 2001. The duo commonly receives requests from all over the county and sometimes other parts of the country to assist in searches.
But getting JJ on the force wasn't automatic.
In fact, before the advent of JJ, the Salt Lake City Police Department had only used German shepherds. JJ had to prove himself, and he quickly became the little-dog-that-could.
Serio bought JJ when the pup was just 8 weeks old. It was the same time that he joined the police department himself.
"I didn't get him for law enforcement. I got him as a pet," he said.
Serio noticed that even as a puppy JJ had an uncanny ability to track people. Serio and his wife would play hide-and-seek games in the park and JJ would find them every time.
Because JJ's natural ability to track people seemed so advanced, Serio drew up a proposal for the city K-9 unit to add a bloodhound to the group. The breed was used much more by law enforcement agencies in the East.
Change never comes easily, and Serio said the department was a little hesitant at first, but agreed to give JJ a shot. One person who encouraged Serio to continue with the training was his then-sergeant, Chris Burbank, now the department's chief.
Immediately JJ created a buzz with his co-workers.
Salt Lake City police detective Robin Snyder said that when she worked graveyard shifts, JJ and Serio were just starting off.
"When it was slow, he'd train JJ by having officers go out. We'd take off for a few blocks and hide, getting a 15- to 30-minute head start. And he would always find us," she said.
That's when officers also learned of JJ's trademark bay.
"Every officer just runs to where he's howling," Snyder said. "They know it means JJ has got the person he's looking for."
What makes JJ so impressive is that he is able to track down people in a city environment, through concrete and with the scents of other people in the air. Sometimes a suspect perpetrator will drop an article of clothing, making it fairly easy for JJ to pick up his scent.
Sometimes JJ may find the scent left in a car a criminal ran from, or the shoeprint of a door that was kicked in, Serio said. And sometimes JJ even surprises his owner with his abilities.
In one case, Serio said, they showed up at a crime scene where the criminal had an hour head start. JJ immediately let out a howl to inform everyone he had picked up the trail.
After a suspect is found, JJ traditionally gives out another loud bay in victory.
Serio said JJ has found suspects hiding in garbage cans, in trees and on roofs. Normally, Ward and his K-9 Rosco, a German shepherd, are right behind JJ, ready to apprehend a suspect once he's found. But normally, suspects hear the loud howl of the 85-pound bloodhound and immediately surrender.
Because of JJ's success, the Salt Lake City Police Department is now training two bloodhound puppies who'll likely one day succeed their top dog. One 4-month-old puppy, Moe, is already showing signs akin to an early JJ, according to Serio.
Other police departments in the valley, such as South Jordan Police, have also obtained bloodhounds, based on JJ's success.
E-mail: preavy@desnews.com