Dave Ross: It might be time for Congress to push for bomb-sniffing dogs
May 31, 2016, 5:36 AM | Updated: 8:53 am
We’ve seen some epic security lines at the airport as the summer travel season revs up. But the TSA thinks it’s found the key to getting the problem under control.
For all the advances in technology, when it comes to sniffing out bombs, no machine can beat Sonny, an 8-year-old black lab.
“She sits and that’s how she tells me she’s found explosives. She knows 19,000 different types of explosives,” Special Agent Sheila Fry explains.
Special Agent Fry is with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which depends on bomb dogs to catch the bad guys. They’re also ideal for airport security. The only problem is getting enough of them.
The Transportation Security Administration had its own breeding program but shut it down in 2012 due to high costs. The agency says it needs some 60 additional dogs to add to the more than 300 it’s currently using.
Yes, the TSA’s bomb dog training program was shut down to save money.
Dr. Cindy Otto, who runs the University of Pennsylvania’s Working Dog Center, has warned Congress about this.
“One of the major reasons for the shortage of quality dogs is that we rely heavily on the procurement of dogs from other countries,” Otto explains. “To us, a national breeding program is a priority.”
Otto also points out that it takes at least a year to train these dogs so it might be time for Congress to take some action.
“We really need to think of a better way to provide these dogs, ‘cuz it really is a national security issue that we’re all invested in.”
I’m not a bomb expert, but it sounds like training more dogs might be a pretty good idea, especially since the dog can sniff out 19,000 types of explosives.
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Tune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 5am for Dave Ross on Seattle's Morning News.
