Rhode Island State Police announce first ever comfort dog, ‘soft’ interview room for Special Victims Unit

"Sometimes the hardest thing to do in an investigation is to build a rapport with victims so that they trust you with disclosing their abuse," said Detective Sergeant Heather Palumbo, of the Special Victims Unit, explained. 

NORTH SCITUATE, R.I. (WLNE)- Rhode Island State Police added new initiatives to its Special Victims Unit: a “soft” interview room and the agency’s first ever comfort dog.

On Friday, state police announced their new “soft” interview room, where victims and witnesses can feel more comfortable sharing their stories with investigators to effectively solve a case.

The division also introduced their first ever comfort dog, K-9 Gus.

Gus is a nine-week old Goldendoodle being trained to help reduce anxiety and stress on victims, witnesses, and the investigator during the interview process.

For the next year, Gus will learn basic obedience as a comfort-dog-in-training and will also be used as community outreach.

“Sometimes the hardest thing to do in an investigation is to build a rapport with victims so that they trust you with disclosing their abuse,” said Det. Sgt. Heather Palumbo, of the Special Victims Unit, explained. “We hope that using the soft room and K-9 Gus, we will be able to gain a victim’s trust more quickly and empower them to be helpful in their own case.”