Bomb-sniffing dogs in demand 4 police agencies to step up training
By CHARLOTTE HALE
Staff reporter
12/13/2001
delawareonline.com
Police departments across Delaware are relying more on dogs to help investigate bomb threats and satisfy requests for security sweeps from corporations since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
At least four police agencies in the state are buying more canines, or plan to train dogs already on the force to sniff out explosives.
Some departments said they are motivated by increased bomb threats since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington. Others said they just want to be better prepared to handle such threats.
Delaware police agencies appear not to be alone in their desire to have more dogs capable of investigating reports of bombs.
Since Sept. 11, the U.S. Police Canine Association in Springboro, Ohio, has fielded more calls for information about using dogs for bomb detection, executive director Russ Hess said.
The inquiries are coming not only from police agencies, but also from corporations interested in improving security.
Dog handlers' associations said they do not have statistics detailing the increased demand for bomb-sniffing dogs.
The Federal Aviation Administration also plans to increase the number of dog teams in major airports in the next two years from 188 teams to 229, spokesman Jim Peters said.
Companies in the Delaware area that import dogs and train them said demand for canines and bomb-detection classes has increased since the attacks.
Some schools said the demand for dogs trained to sniff out bombs has started to match requests for drug-sniffing dogs and training. In some cases, that has contributed to longer waits for animals and training.
Bill Castle, a dog importer and owner of the Castle K-9 training school in Mechanicsburg, Pa., said the terrorist attacks have made police departments more aware of the need for the dogs.
"You can't wait until something happens," he said. "You've got to be proactive rather than reactive."
Building sweeps on rise
Delaware has about 50 dogs working for five police agencies, the Delaware River and Bay Authority and Dover Air Force Base.
Of those, 21 are trained to find explosives ranging from dynamite to C-4, which is used by the military. That number will increase to at least 29 dogs next year.
New Castle County police plan to spend nearly $55,000 to buy four Belgian Malinois and train the dogs and their handlers. Two of the county's six police dogs are trained for bomb detection.
Capt. Phil Aufiero, who is in charge of the K-9 unit, said the additional dogs will help the county respond to a greater demand for bomb detection.
Calls about suspicious packages and bomb threats increased from a couple a week to about 13 a day in the month after Sept. 11. Although Aufiero said that activity is starting to slow, more businesses are requesting building sweeps as a precaution.
Having extra dogs will allow the county to use several at once. Aufiero said the dogs can need a break after 30-35 minutes.
Delaware State Police and Wilmington Police had dogs in training before Sept. 11 and plan to use some for bomb detection. Training can take up to 12 weeks to complete.
State police spokesman Cpl. Walter Newton said the state trains dogs regularly to replace aging dogs.
The eight dogs and handlers scheduled to complete their training will allow the department to rotate them. Newton said some new dogs have been trained for bomb detection. Others will add that training next spring.
Wilmington Police Lt. Carolyn Henry said two of the department's three new dogs in training now are learning to detect explosives.
The department's two bomb-sniffing dogs were not enough, especially for large building searches, she said.
"We were just going from one complaint to another," she said.
Dover Police also plan in the spring to train two of the force's four dogs for explosives searches. Those dogs now are used for patrol duties, including tracking suspects, Capt. Ray Taraila said.
A series of bomb threats led to the decision to train the dogs for additional duties.
Taraila said the department wanted to become less dependent on K-9 teams from other police agencies and Dover Air Force Base to help with bomb detection. That has become less practical since the base moved to a heightened alert in September.
The pressure's on
The increased demand for dogs and training is putting pressure on companies such as Castle K-9.
Castle said demand for Belgian Malinois, Labrador retrievers and other breeds skilled in finding explosives has more than doubled since Sept. 11.
He plans two bomb-dog training schools instead of the usual one and is booked for the classes until September. That's twice the usual wait, he said.
The training involves teaching the dogs to recognize the scent of explosives and alert the trainer.
Michael Morgan, owner and trainer of Mid-Michigan Kennels near Lansing, said he was training six to 10 drug-detection dogs for every bomb-sniffing dog before September. Those numbers have evened out and are tipping toward bomb-dog training.
Dogs can learn to detect the scents of explosive and illegal drugs, but they are not trained to do both types of work. If they were, the trainer could not distinguish which scent the dog had detected and would not know how to respond.
Morgan said tighter airline security measures have delayed the importing of dogs, which often come from the Netherlands and other European countries.
Reach Charlotte Hale at 324-2792 or chale@delawareonline.com.
Special to The News Journal/MONIQUE BRUNSBERG
Zeke uses his nose to seek out explosives that may be hidden under the bumper of a vehicle.
Zeke does a half-sit to let New Castle County police Cpl. Phil Aufiero know that he has detected some kind of explosive, which turns out to be dynamite.
Special to The News Journal/MONIQUE BRUNSBERG
Police Cpl. Phil Aufiero walks Zeke to vehicles Monday during an explosives-detection demonstration. |
