"New troops join airport security efforts"

Sunday, July 27, 2003

New troops join security efforts
Unique boot camp to send another class of canines to U.S. airports
By JOHN W. GONZALEZ
The Houston (TX) Chronicle


SAN ANTONIO -- After 10 weeks of arduous training, another class of
explosive-detection dogs and their trainers will graduate from a special
academy on Friday, bolstering the anti-terrorism defenses at a dozen major
airports around the nation. 

The unique boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base, operated by the
Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security, produces all the federally certified K-9 teams that are in high
demand to check terminals, aircraft, baggage and cargo at scores of busy
airports, including both of Houston's. 

The latest will be dispatched to airports in Dallas; New York City; San
Francisco; Chicago; Atlanta; Baltimore; Hartford, Conn.; Milwaukee, Wis.;
Denver; Cincinnati, Ohio; Miami; and Detroit, where they likely will spend
the rest of their careers. 

Handlers said the work, while strenuous, is so satisfying they expect to
stick with the assignment until retirement. For the dogs, which rarely
complete more than 10 years on the job, the main reward is getting to play
with a squishy toy every time they detect an explosive substance. 

Only 65 teams will be certified this year, but officials hope to nearly
double that number to allow smaller airports to benefit from the increased
security and peace of mind that the dogs provide. 

"We're growing by leaps and bounds," said Dave Kontny, who heads the TSA
program, which piggy-backs on the Department of Defense canine school that
has been based at Lackland for 30 years. 

"Houston has added several teams. Now they're covering Houston Hobby as well
as George Bush International. As the team grows and as we provide more of
these valuable resources for the law enforcement entities, it provides a
greater sense of security at the airport," he said. 

Still, "we always need more teams," Kontny said. 

While the emphasis is on strengthening defenses at the nation's 82 busiest
airports, eventually the teams could be commonplace at smaller airports and
bus and rail systems. The TSA's mandate is "to deter and detect the
introduction of explosive devices into the transportation system." 

"Our second phase is to look at how do we provide a Butte, Montana, with the
same resources that we do a Logan International in Boston or a Houston Hobby
or George Bush International," Kontny said. 

"We're comfortable we have enough resources in Houston. But now it's time to
plan for 2005, 2007, 2009," he said. 

Funding is the main constraint, he said. The federal government covers the
cost of the dogs and training and partially reimburses local entities --
police departments, port authorities and airports -- for the handlers'
salaries, as well as the dogs' upkeep. 

Because of the high demand for the dogs, the program buys many of its
animals from suppliers in Europe, but since March 2002 it's produced dozens
of puppies at a whelping facility here that can accommodate up to six
litters at a time. Roughly half the dogs born here from donated Australian
breeding stock prove suitable for the detection work, trainers said. All are
named after victims of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. 

As puppies, the dogs are turned over to foster families in the San Antonio
area, whose task is to get them accustomed to people and crowded places. 

"Research has proven it is much better to have these puppies in a
well-socialized environment -- an actual family environment -- than it would
be to have them raised in a kennel," said TSA puppy consultant Diana Thomas.


Lynda Frink, a TSA employee and dog owner who volunteered to care for one of
the rambunctious, government-bred puppies, said she takes the dog on
shopping trips and other outings. 

"I hope he becomes a superstar. I really do," she said, acknowledging it may
be tough to part with the dog when it's ready for the academy. 

Formal lessons begin when the dogs are at least a year old. After brief
initial sessions with TSA dog experts, they are carefully paired with
compatible officers who will be their constant companions for years to come.
Surprisingly, some of the officers have little or no experience with dogs. 

"In 10 weeks, we go from some of these guys never even having a dog to being
a dog handler," said trainer Virginia Beauman. 

"The majority of our handlers stay with it until they retire," Beauman said,
adding, "it gets in your blood." 

Though sophisticated screening devices are used to detect explosives in
baggage, TSA also relies on dogs because of their mobility and keen sense of
smell, which enables them to detect dozens of chemical compounds found in
bombs. Training conditions the dogs to find the chemicals' odors and to
indicate their presence by sitting still. The handler learns to read the
dog's cues and reward it when appropriate, usually by allowing it to play
with a toy that is otherwise withheld. 

Among the techniques taught at the school, which involves classroom as well
as field training, are searching of aircraft, luggage and parking lots. 

Because the dogs are not trained to apprehend suspects, nonaggressive breeds
are often used. Belgian Malinois, German shepherds, springer spaniels,
Munsterlanders, Labradors, golden retrievers and vizslas are among favored
breeds. 

The handlers must have certain attributes as well, she said. 

"They have to be able to pick up a lot of new things quickly. Although 10
weeks may sound like a long period of time, for someone that's never even
touched a dog in their life, they have to learn how to put a choke chain on,
learn principles of conditioning and basic behavioral traits," she said. 

"They don't have to become Dr. Doolittle, but they do have to interpret some
of the dog's reactions," she said. 

Sgt. Jon "JT" Taylor of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport's
Department of Public Safety is one of the future graduates who had no
background as a handler. Though a dog owner, he said he now knows "the right
way to train a dog," and he's eager to return home to help alleviate a
shortage of teams. 

"We've been short for quite a while now. It will be good to have another
team," he said. 

When he returns, he and the dog won't immediately begin detective work. The
dog will be "off odor" for 30 days, meaning it won't be exposed to decoy
explosive substances used in training. Instead, it will become accustomed to
its new surroundings and gradually be reconditioned to sniff for bombs. 

Taylor believes the dogs are a highly dependable resource. 

"You can never say everything's 100 percent safe because in the world we
live in now," he said, "but this adds another tool to combat terrorism and
injuries to the public."


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dc/dcboard.php

*****************************************