"Dogs Can Still Do the Job, But May Get Competition"

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Dogs Can Still Do the Job, But May Get Competition
Airport Security Report


As the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) continues to expand its
K-9 program of bomb-sniffing dogs to more of the nation's airports, agency
officials insist the dogs face no imminent competition from high-tech canine
equivalents. But at least one firm is offering handheld explosive detection
devices that have been used over the last year at some U.S. military
installations. 

TSA's K-9 program is part of a "layered approach" to security that allows
teams of dogs and handlers to quickly move and redeploy from one location to
another among 66 participating airports, K-9 program director Dave Kontny
says. While firms with other "bomb-sniffing" systems without four legs and a
tail still market their products with statements like "as good as a dog,"
Kontny insisted that there is no technology coming down the pike for at
least another five to 10 years to threaten the niche that dogs now occupy. 

However, Airport Security Report has done its own sniffing around, and found
a Stillwater, Okla.-based company, Nomadics, Inc., with the help of one of
its business partners, L-3 Communications [LLL]. For a year now, Nomadics'
handheld "Fido X" and "Fido XT" devices have been in use at various military
installations, says Steve Broadway, Nomadics' vice president of marketing. 

"Inspired by dogs, the gold standard in explosive detection," the Fido
devices already perform at levels that are comparable to the real
bomb-sniffing dogs, the company says. And although confined so far to
military use, Nomadics is confident Fido has a future at commercial
airports, Broadway tells Airport Security Report. 

The XT model sells for $28,000, with discounts for bulk orders, Broadway
adds. Currently, the Fido X is not being sold commercially. 

Meanwhile, TSA hopes to get its K-9 program into the country's remaining
Category 1 airports by the end of this year, bringing the total number of
airport partners to 82, Kontny said. The country's largest airports (in
Category X) such as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL), Chicago
O'Hare Airport (ORD) and John F. Kennedy International (NYC) are already in
the program. The 16 additional facilities TSA is targeting for expansion
will pull all of the country's Category 1 airports into the program. 

TSA officials are also thinking that the K-9 program could expand beyond
airports to rail stations, because some airports, such as ATL, are
multi-modal transportation facilities, Kontny said. The canines are already
sniffing out some air cargo areas, and there should be considerably more
opportunities in these areas in the future. 

The core of the K-9 program, which began in 1972, still are teams that
consist of one human handler and one dog. They train together at facilities
at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, then continue working together at
their assigned airports. The work life of the average K-9 dog is about six
to eight years. 

Instead of threatening to replace the dogs, some of the latest technology
has served to verify the dogs' accuracy, Kontny adds. Many times, dogs have
signaled to their handlers that they have sniffed out some kind of explosive
material, yet no explosive was ever found. Such incidents were thought to be
misfires in the canine synapses between nose and brain. But more recently,
explosive trace detection (EDS) devices that swab luggage for minute amounts
of explosive residue have backed up the dogs in some cases. 

"Everything I've seen so far doesn't perform as well as the canines do,"
says Chief Duane McGray, director of public safety at Nashville
International Airport (BNA), speaking of the potential competition from
technology Although McGray says he has seen the current technology, he is
not familiar with Nomadic's Fido devices. He is also quite bullish on the
TSA program, primarily because it has far higher standards than other canine
services. 

One area where dogs will continue to shine is in tracking odors - starting
with an odor location, and then tracking it back to its source, he adds. "I
don't know of any technology out there that will do that." 

The training facilities at Lackland are about to be expanded, Kontny added.
Construction is nearing completion on a mock terminal that will look much
like the facilities at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) or
Denver International Airport (DEN), minus the swarms of travellers. This
will mean that the dog/handler teams will start getting accustomed earlier
in the training process to the proper search patterns and terrain commonly
found in terminals. 

While the canines often attract local headlines after they have investigated
suspicious packages in the odd nooks and crannies at airports, K-9 dogs also
can back up normal bag-screening operations. Existing hardware can be
awfully tough to move, and is subject to power failures. As Kontny says,
"You don't need to plug the dog in." 

Meanwhile, the largest of Nomadic's two Fido devices, the Fido XT, has a
four-hour battery life and weighs only 2.7 lbs., Broadway says. The latest
versions are no longer limited to detecting only "nitro-aromatic" materials,
but other types of explosives as well. 

The smaller Fido X model consists of one integrated unit for detecting and
providing readings. The XT model adds a tether cord and a component that
resembles a power drill or handgun. It allows the user to shove one-half of
the device containing the detector either around a corner, up to an overhead
bin, or into an awkward place and still comfortably read the findings from
the other half. Both models allow readings from an LED screen, over a set of
headphones, or both. 

Then again, Nomadic's Fido will not be alone in benefitting from
technological advances. Just prior to 9/11, TSA's K-9 program started its
own puppy breeding program. In another five to 10 years, research on DNA
markers should allow more dogs to be bred with the best bomb-sniffing
qualities, Kontny says. 

Contacts: 
Steve Broadway, Nomadic, (405) 372-9535, sbroadway@xxxxxxxxxxxx; 
Chief Duane McGray, BNA, (615) 275-1689, duane_mcgray@xxxxxxxxxxxx; 
TSA directs K-9 inquiries to K-9@xxxxxxx


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