K-9 Officers

Explosive Detector Dog

Since the tragedy of 9/11 and the increased awareness of terrorism in this country, police have changed tactics and looked for various ways to assist in combating terrorists. The explosive detection dog is one of these tools. These dogs are taught to search areas, buildings and vehicles for the presence of many explosive odors. Some of these odors include black powder, dynamite and C-4. The dogs are able to locate many other explosives and chemicals used to manufacture explosive devices.

Because the dogs are searching for things that blow up, each explosive dog is a passive alert dog.  In this case, the dog will get its nose as close as possible to the source of the scent and then sit. The advantage of this response is that the dog will most likely not damage anything and, in certain circumstances, may be used to search people.