Dogs Search For Explosives

By Broadside News Editor Asma Chaudhary

A recent investigation discovered that Labradors are being trained to search for explosives in the Patriot Center as part of Federal Protective Services and Homeland Security emergency training.

From Feb. 11 to 13, the bomb-sniffing dogs were sweeping all seating sections in the center. In the current class, about seven dogs are being trained simultaneously. The process takes about 16 weeks, in which the dogs are taken directly from the breeder at six weeks old. With the 10-week program, the dogs train about 40 hours in order to prepare for a real emergency situation.

According to Danny Page, a retired Alexandria K-9 unit officer, the dogs are constantly on stand-by and these training sessions help prepare them. Page has worked with the Alexandria Police Department for 26 years and is currently training new K-9 unit officers throughout the northern Virginia area. Sometimes for high-profile individuals such as the U.S. president, extra security is required. Therefore, dogs are sent in the venue in order to detect explosives prior to that event.

With a reward system in place for the Labradors, the dogs are fed after finding explosive materials. According to the K-9 officers, this method has been proven successful.

“There is no food in their stomachs until they sniff out the bombs,” Page said.

Besides high-profile events, the dogs are on stand-by for smaller events, like graduations, that occur at all hours of the day. The threat level is constantly monitored by security officials and when a problem is detected, the audience is cleared out and the experts move in. Although the dogs are highly experienced, they must always remain on their leash for focus and safety. This prevents any problems between civilians, the dogs or any foul play at an event.

“The dogs work with the NATF and are constantly training,” Page said.