Police K9 Trina shows off her scent-tracking to find missing children, endangered adults

The swirling breeze on Tuesday morning could not throw Trina off the scent of a half-inch washer placed for her to find on the grounds at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center.

Nose to the ground, her tail wagging, the 3-year-old Labrador retriever led her handler, Hawai‘i Island Police Officer Christopher Ross, on a small journey around the county building as she sniffed out the quarter-size piece of metal.

Minutes later, the young dog sat down, staring at the object.

The demonstration of Trina’s scent-tracking abilities was part of a dedication ceremony, welcoming the new K9 to the Hawai‘i Police Department. She will serve as the westside scent detection dog for finding missing children and endangered adults.

Since K9 Argo retired in November 2023, the westside had been without a scent detection dog until Trina’s arrival last year.

“When someone goes missing in our community, whether it is keiki, kūpuna or other vulnerable persons, these are the critical times when scent-tracking police K9s like Trina can help guide search and rescue personnel faster and bring peace of mind to the victim’s family sooner,” said Amanda Leonard, the Missing Child Center Hawai‘i and MAILE AMBER Alert coordinator for the state Attorney General.

The $25,000 cost of the dog, her transportation from Sweden, and the training for dog and handler was made possible through community donations to the nonprofit Hawai‘i Island K9 Association.

And at the ceremony, it was announced the $30,000 renovation of the Kona kennels for the police canines was completed, also with funding from the nonprofit.

Since its founding five years ago, the Hawai‘i Island K9 Association has provide money for kennels, equipment, canines, training and medical care to the working dogs of the Big Island.

The Hawai‘i Police Department currently has six K9 officers. There are two narcotic dogs in East Hawai‘i: Axel, a Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd mix, and Cash, a Dutch Shepard. There also are two narcotics dogs in West Hawai‘i: Boyke, a Belgian Malinois, and Kim, a German Short Haired Pointer.

East Hawai‘i’s scent detection canine is Scout, a Belgian Malinois/Dutch Shepherd.

Sgt. Jody Passmore, who oversees the department’s westside narcotic canines and interdiction, said Tuesday he hopes to add enough canines trained in a variety of skills, so they have their own unit.

The Maui Police Department has apprehension dogs that pursue suspects, and Passmore said he hopes Hawaiʻi Island police also can get those type of skilled dogs. He said that likely would require adding at least four more dogs.

But on Tuesday, Trina was happy to be the center of attention. She was showered with pets by community members while always looking up to Ross for reassurance and guidance.

Ross partnered with Trina in June 2025 after she arrived from Sweden. During the ceremony, he told the crowd he believes he and his partner will do good things for the department.

“She is going to save lives,” Ross said.

Trina received initial training at Ultimate K9 in Indiana. She and Ross completed 40 more hours of training with retired Honolulu Police Department K9 trainer Corporal Wayne Silva.

Ross and Trina have been deployed once so far, when they were called to help find a missing man in Waikōloa. Scout also responded. Between the two dogs, the man was found safely.

Ross said a lot of the training he does with Trina is tracking and learning her body language when she’s onto a smell.

“She does a bunny hop,” Ross said when he knows his K9 partner has caught a scent. “When she circles back two to three times, I know that she may be off and she needs a little guidance. We’ll go back to our last known area where we moved when she was on scent.”

With Trina’s addition, Ross said they can deploy fast without having to wait an hour or an hour and a half for the East Hawai‘i scent detection dog to arrive with its handler.

Capt. Edwin Buyten, who oversees the Vice Division, has been a K9 handler for two dogs at different times in his 20-plus year career at the department.

“Being a K9 handler is probably the greatest job on the planet,” Buyten told the crowd. “You go to work, and you work with a dog. They are the purest partner you can have in the police department.”

One of the first things a K9 handler learns, whether it’s a missing persons dog or a narcotics dog, is to “trust your dog,” Buyten said.

“They are pure and humble, and they don’t need your opinion to tell them they’re wrong, because the majority of the time they are correct. It’s the handler who throws off the dog. So trust your dog and it will take you to what you’re looking for.”

Buyten said each dog with the department is trained specifically for the departments they serve.

“A narcodog couldn’t do what Trina did today,” Buyten said, adding they are trained to sniff out drugs, not track a scent.

Tammy Passmore, founder and board chair of the Hawai‘i Island Canine Association, said today was a special day.

“When we have someone missing, a child or an endangered adult, and we need to find them quickly because time is not on your side if you’re not out there quickly responding and searching for this person,” Passmore said, who is also the wife of Sgt. Passmore.

She also was excited about the renovated play area and kennel for West Hawai‘i’s canine officers, which was two years in the making.

The delay was partially due to waiting for Hawai‘i County to approve the necessary permits to build an 8-foot fence. A fence up to six feet does not require a permit.

“We wanted to increase the height of the fence because we have a lot of Malinois and the different dogs that can jump really high,” Tammy Passmore said.

With the new fencing, the space has doubled in size from approximately 2,000 square feet to close to 4,000 square feet of grass and separated areas to allow the dogs their own space to run laps.

“They need to have a place where they can rest and recuperate after their long searches and their daily work,” Passmore said.