Long Island’s crime-fighting K-9 unit is making headlines for its impressive ability to sniff out arsonists who wrongly believe they’ve left no trace. These highly trained dogs have been pivotal in solving cases, including a complex murder investigation that had puzzled authorities for months.
The Nassau County Fire Marshal’s K-9 unit, renowned for its expertise, has been operational for more than ten years. These remarkable dogs can detect over 300 different accelerants and chemicals, a feat beyond the reach of human firefighters and investigators, thereby linking suspects to crime scenes with precision.
“We sometimes place just a single drop of gasoline on a coffee stirrer and conceal it within an entire football field,” explained Lt. Joseph Battaglia, handler of a dog named Pilot, in an interview. “Pilot managed to find it in just seven seconds. They’re incredibly effective at their job and an essential resource for us.”
One of the unit’s newer recruits, Leah, made her mark in 2018. She was instrumental in revealing that the death of 75-year-old James Coppola was no accident after his opulent Centre Island residence was reduced to rubble by fire.
“Pilot got it in seven seconds. … They’re very good at what they do. They’re a good tool in our toolbox.”
A rookie dog named Leah earned her bone in 2018 when she discovered that 75-year-old James Coppola’s death wasn’t accidental after his lavish Centre Island home burned to ash.
“When the firemen came in, they didn’t even know that there was a body there,” said her handler, Matthew Kerin, Nassau’s fire marshal investigator.
“They ended up finding the body — half of it, because that’s how bad the fire was.”
Kerin called in his four-legged partner to sniff around the rubble for vapors to prove foul play.
“We collected, I think, 23 pieces of evidence that she had found in this house,” he said of the Labrador retriever’s efforts.
Leah’s nose led to murder charges for the victim’s mistress, Long Beach’s Jennifer Gross, who was convicted of first killing Coppola and then setting the blaze as cover — before she went on the lam.
“It took us about eight months to find her, but 23 pieces of evidence later, it helped us narrow down everything,” Kerin said.
That was one of the countless instances where the unit helped serve justice, as it regularly gets praised by Nassau’s top dog, County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
“Their expertise strengthens our investigative capabilities and acts as a powerful deterrent against criminals who commit arson,” The Republican, who is running for governor this year, said.
Leah, who was nationally recognized for her talents, has spent nearly a decade on the force, mainly alongside Pilot, who was called in to help at the 10-alarm Marcal paper plant fire in New Jersey in 2019.
“She was the best partner I ever had,” Kerin said of Leah, whom he brings home to his own dog and family each night.
Got that dawg in them
His work woof recently retired and given a huge send-off by the fire marshal’s office, which has already recruited a replacement named Chuck, who also lives with Kerin now.
“I spend more time with Leah and Chuck than I do with my own family,” Kerin joked, adding that Leah still goes into the office with him and the other dogs daily to avoid loneliness at home.
“First thing in the morning, they’re ready at the door to go to work.”
The trio, originally from a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) program, is “trained basically like Olympic athletes” routinely by their Nassau handlers.
“We have to monitor their weight,” said Kerin, adding that “they’re super friendly and they’re very smart.”
The dogs are trained with food rewards and will only eat from a pouch their handlers wear in small, frequent doses in exchange for daily tasks, big and small.
“They actually change a little bit and get into a mode when they’re ready to work,” said Battaglia.
“When Pilot sees my food patch, he just gets the flip switch, and he wants to go find whatever that ignited liquid is.”
The pups prove themselves in routine practice and simulations, oftentimes in the fire marshal’s spacious garage for trucks and hazmat.
Kerin and Battaglia will lay out burnt clothes and blocks of wood, plus accessories like purses and place a single, microscopic drip of accelerant among the piles for the dogs to fetch, as they can whiff its vapor with no time to spare.
And the furry force is inseparable, welcoming Chuck as family, too.
“Leah and him hit it off the bat. They’re like brother and sister,” said Kerin.
The dogs are also a delight at their Westbury facility, which houses several Nassau County agencies whose employees are more than willing to spoil man’s best friend.
The canine core is as good at sniffing out treats off the job as they are while working.
“Every office has a desk — and they have a stash. The dogs know exactly where to go, so they do get a couple of treats here,” said Kerin, who added that Fire Marshall Michael Uttaro is an easy target.
“They’re very lovable and very affectionate — and they break you down pretty quickly,” Uttaro confessed.
