'Scent Kits' For K-9 Available Through Mokena Police Department

MOKENA, IL — Mokena residents who care for an individual with special needs now have a new tool to help find that person should he or she ever go missing.

It's called a scent evidence preservation kit and it works like this: A sealed, uncontaminated jar will contain a person's scent, along with a fingerprint card with the individuals's age, height, weight, hair and eye color, scars, and marks, according to the Mokena Police Department.

In the event the person goes missing, the kit would be given to the Will County Sheriff's Office K-9 to help track the individual.

"As you may know, a person’s scent is like a fingerprint to a trained K-9," Mokena Police Interim Chief Brian Benton said. "It’s unique to that individual. When a tracking K-9 begins a search for a person, they are presented with an article of clothing or something that contains the missing person’s scent."

Benton said the scent evidence preservation kits are an important tool for law enforcement officers to have in a missing person case.

"Especially in the case of at-risk adults — such as those with Alzheimer’s or autism — and juveniles, it is critical to start the search quickly, as every second counts," Benton said.

The Mokena Police Department, in conjunction with the Will County Sheriff's Office, will provide the kits free of charge to caregivers of at-risk Will County residents.

For more information, or to obtain a kit, contact Mokena Police Officer Caitlin Wynn at cwynn@mokenapd.com or call (708) 479-3912.