Page 74 - Security Today, March/April 2024

COVER STORY
Dog Association (IPWDA), Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act and others. Experienced single handler. Canines do not work alone. They must be paired with a dedicated and experienced han- dler trained in incident response, de- escalation and community engagement. When teams have a single-handler and a single-purpose, it reinforces a strong and unique working bond. This enhances suc- cess in the field and provides an important familiarity with the deployment environ- ment. Rotating teams or rotating handlers
with the same dog, is not best practice. Host a meet-and-greet. Schools and universities should consider hosting meet- and-greet sessions with faculty, students and other members of the campus com- munity to learn about the firearms detec- tion team and program. This provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to become familiar and comfortable, quelling any misconceptions or concerns about the
team’s role at the school.
Safeguarding students in school is
the highest priority, requiring forward- thinking leadership and a multi-faceted approach to security. There are many strat- egies that will help reduce the likelihood of an active shooter incident occurring on today’s school campuses, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Tens of thousands of canines are working hard across the globe to help keep us safe in our everyday life. Over the last half century, hard work and ongoing research have further refined canine de- tection capabilities so that today’s dogs are well positioned to provide a next-level era of safety and security.
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“A CANINE’S SENSE OF SMELL IS ESTIMATED TO BE UP TO 10,000 TIMES MORE SENSITIVE THAN THAT OF A HUMAN. FIREARMS DETECTION CANINES FIRST LEARN TO DETECT ALL COMMERCIAL AND MILITARY GRADE EXPLOSIVES, AS WELL
AS HOMEMADE EXPLOSIVES. THEN, THEY COMPLETE ADDITIONAL TRAINING SPECIFIC TO ODORS ASSOCIATED WITH FIREARMS, IMPRINTING ON LOW-EXPLOSIVE POWDERS, AS WELL AS GUN CLEANING SOLVENTS AND OTHER RELATED ODORS.”
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