Dog used to help child victims in court

TAOS, N.M. (KRQE) - He's not a drug-sniffing dog or a bomb-sniffing dog. He doesn't even chase down criminals. But one New Mexico District Attorney hopes a dog will help put criminals behind bars, by giving young victims the courage to speak up about some terrible things.

Linc is a 2-year-old black lab with a big job ahead of him: Giving the smallest victims big voices in court.

“They are trained not to be distractions and not to interfere in the process in any way, shape or form,” said Donald Gallegos , the District Attornet for Taos, Union and Colfax Counties.

Gallegos will be the first DA in New Mexico to utilize a specially-trained dog to help children open up about abuse they have suffered. He said, too often, children of sexual or physical abuse stay silent.

“To be able to talk to 12 strangers, a bunch of lawyers and a judge is very traumatic for them,” said Gallegos.

Because the child victims can't bring themselves to tell their stories, Gallegos said the abusers often cut deals for lenient sentences or walk on all charges.

Now he's hoping a four-legged friend will change that. Linc is trained to be calm and to sit still so that a child can just pet him and feel comforted in their time of need. The plan is to introduce children to Linc from the moment they are taken to a safehouse to be interviewed. Linc would then be there to help them through the process and sit next to them when they are on the witness stand.

“It's another way of assuring accountability for those who take advantage of our most precious and most vulnerable segment of the population out there," Gallegos said.

He said he wants the animals to become commonplace in courtrooms, and even has plans to expand Linc's work to adult victims and witnesses.

Only a handful of district attorneys around the country have a dog like this. Linc is expected to start working in the DA's office in Taos, Union and Colfax counties in February.