Reese The Bloodhound Now On The Job For Monmouth County Sheriff

FREEHOLD, NJ— The newest member of the Monmouth County Sheriff's Department goes by one name - Reese.

Reese, an 11-month-old bloodhound, has joined the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit. Reese was certified by the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office after 12 weeks of intense training with his handler, Officer Michael Mindo,

“Reese will be a significant asset to our K-9 Unit, since his sole purpose is to locate individuals,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden.

“Through tracking and trailing, this highly trained K-9, with a stronger sense of smell than any other breed, will assist the sheriff’s office and local police departments in apprehending criminals, locating missing persons and those with special needs,” Golden said.

Reese is the third bloodhound the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office has in the K-9 Unit. He came to the agency from the Spring River Bloodhounds in Missouri. It’s estimated that a bloodhound’s nose has 230 million olfactory cells, or “scent receptors”- 40 times the number in humans, the office explained. They are trained to track skin cells from humans, according to a news release from the sheriff's department.

During training, the team tracked scent in rural, urban and residential areas and through bodies of water, the woods, fields, creeks and garbage, as well as parking lots and busy roadways, the office said.

“During training, Reese’s determination and persistence was exceptional. I’m confident that he will be a great addition to the K-9 Unit,” Mindo said.

The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office has 10 K9s, which include three tracking teams, three narcotics teams, two explosive detection teams and two explosive/patrol teams.