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Niagara County Sheriff's Department Special Forces |
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Niagara County Sheriff's Department Special Forces |
The Special Forces Unit of the Niagara County Sheriff's Department is utilized in all phases of law enforcement including, but not limited to, tracking criminals, finding missing or abducted persons, rape, robbery, burglary, murder, prowlers, finding burial sites, narcotics, accelerants and water search and recovery.
One of the most important areas of the Special Forces Unit is the use of bloodhounds and an extremely important piece of equipment known as the Scent Transfer Unit.
The Scent Transfer Unit (STU-100) was specifically designed for Forensic Specialists, Investigators, Evidence Response Teams, Identification Departments and Scent Dog Handlers. The Scent Transfer Unit allows law enforcement to collect evidence from any item without destroying fingerprints on the item, collect trace evidence at a crime scene without contamination, collect scent evidence from hard to access places not accessible to a search dog and gives law enforcement a scent pad to store in sent banks for future use on repeat offenders.
The STU-100 was designed and built to assist law enforcement with the collection of scent and trace evidence. It provides a method of preserving evidence for extended periods of time because scent is evidence. The STU-100 requires common sense, good judgement, a sound working knowledge of scent and what it takes to protect it from contamination. Properly handled and operated, the STU-100 can product unbelievable results.
Scent: you can't see it, you can't smell it, you can't photograph it, you can't dye it, you can't lift it like a fingerprint, you cant find it with a laser, you can't send it to the lab for analysis - but its there waiting to be used.
For over 20 years, William D. Tolhurst has had the opportunity of working with and observing some of the best law enforcement professionals in the business of crime scene evidence preservation.
Some of these people have spent a lifetime perfecting the technology of collecting and preserving evidence. They attend hundreds of hours of classes learning to perform these functions, and their skills are constantly updated by the most modern technology.
In spite of this education, technology, dedication and hard work, there is still some evidence ignored and neglected at most, if not all, crime scenes. This exclusive evidence is known as scent, the forgotten evidence.(Picture: Bill Tolhurst with Candy & Comanche)
Scent is one piece of evidence that must be present at the scene of a crime. The criminal may walk on a concrete floor and leave no tracks, wear gloves and leave no fingerprints, but unless the entire area has been burned, he still leaves scent.
William D. Tolhurst
was born in Lockport, NY, and, except for his years of service in the Coast Guard during World War II, has spent his life there. He introduced the use of man-trailing bloodhounds in his area after a teenage hunter was lost. His first bloodhound, Cleopatra, set a record of more than 300 verified successes in her lifetime.
Tolhurst began his law enforcement career in 1962 and quickly became a leader in the field of training and dog handling. He currently serves as president of the North American Search Dog Network, and previously served three terms as the president of the National Police Bloodhound Association.
Throughout his long career as a special deputy with the Niagara County Sheriff's Department, Tolhurst has met every challenge. His expertise has been used throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. Every trail backed by his bloodhound testimony has resulted in conviction.
Tolhurst is the author of "Manhunters! Hounds of the Big T" and "The Police Pocket Manual for Bloodhound Training". He also has two video cassettes available "Cadaver Recovery Procedures for Law Enforcement" and "Scent: The Forgotten Evidence".
Pictured: Comanche Chief - Bloodhound (left) and Candy ShaTaf - Labrador (right)------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOLHURST - William D., expert in training police dogs
The Buffalo News, 2/12/2005
By Bill MichelmoreLOCKPORT - Special Deputy William D. Tolhurst, chief of the Niagara County Sheriff's Department's Special Forces Unit and a world authority on training dogs for law enforcement, died Monday in his Lockport home after a short illness. He was 82.
"His death is going to be felt throughout the entire law enforcement community," said Sheriff Thomas A. Beilein. "You couldn't help but be inspired by his dedication and drive. His legacy will be an inspiration to many officers."
Special Deputy Tolhurst, known as Bill, joined the Sheriff's Department in 1956 and worked until he was hospitalized with cancer earlier this month.
"Bill was the foremost authority on bloodhounds and his contribution to law enforcement is immeasurable," said Special Deputy Don Burrows of the Sheriff's Department.
He invented the Scent Transfer Unit, a "scent machine" the size of a small vacuum cleaner that transfers hidden smells at a crime scene onto steel gauze pads, which are then conveyed to a dog used to sniff out suspects or their weapons. The gauze pads can be frozen and used in future cases. The machine, which is used by law enforcement agencies worldwide, also has proven successful in tracking down lost children and Alzheimer's patients, Burrows said.
The dogs Special Deputy Tolhurst trained also were used in search and rescue, sniffing out both narcotics and people. He also trained Labrador retrievers to find old remains, a valuable asset in many cold cases, Burrows added.
Beilein, who worked with Tolhurst since 1969, recalled Tolhurst and his bloodhound, Cleo, once followed disappearing footprints in the snow after an arson fire in a Boy Scout camp in the Town of Lockport. They led investigators right to the door of the suspects, who immediately confessed.
In addition to starting the county's Special Forces Unit, Tolhurst founded the North American Search Dog Network and co-founded the National Police Bloodhound Association. He was a three-time past president of the association and wrote its first training manual. He also wrote the "Police Textbook for Dog Handlers" and "Cadaver Recovery for Law Enforcement."
The Lockport native was a graduate of Lockport High School. After graduation, he enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1942 and two years later went to sea in the Pacific. He was honorably discharged in 1946.
After joining the Niagara County Sheriff's Department, he became a renowned author, lecturer and dog trainer for law enforcement agencies in many countries. He received numerous awards from police agencies in North America and Australia and appeared on several television shows over the years, including "60 Minutes" and "20/20."
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, the former Natalie Calver of Lockport; two sons, Dean and Keith, both of Lockport; and a granddaughter.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. today in First Presbyterian Church, 21 Church St. Burial was in Cold Spring Cemetery.The Silent Witness by William Tolhurst
A new book that opens the way for Bloodhounds and Other Scent Discriminating Dogs to work in the 21st Century! A book that says it as it is in the real world. Old Myths Destroyed. Gives you procedures to collect and use scent never before believed possible!
Contact:
Niagara County Sheriff's Department - Special Forces Unit
Related Topic: Missing Children & Adults
Niagara
County Sheriff's Department
5526 Niagara Street Ext., P.O. Box 496
Lockport, New York 14095-0496
(716) 438-3393, Fax (716) 438-3302
