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 News & Updates | Newsroom News & Updates: Newsroom RTA news Oct. 9, 2009 RTA expands its canine unit
CLEVELAND – Thanks to federal funding, the canine
unit will soon grow from four bomb-sniffing police dogs to seven at the Greater
Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA). This month, three Transit Police will leave
Cleveland for 10 weeks of rigorous training at Lackland Air Force
Base in San Antonio,Texas, which is regarding as the top canine training
facility in the nation. The officers and their new canine partners will return
to Cleveland in mid-December. The on-going funding, $40,000 per year per dog,
is being provided by the Transportation
Security Administration (TSA), part of the Department of
Homeland Security. “The addition of three TSA-certified dogs to the
RTA will complement existing security throughout the entire local transit
system,” says Michael Young, TSA’s regional Federal Security
Director. “These dogs are specially trained to detect improvised explosive
devices and will provide another layer of security in safeguarding RTA for its
riders, its employees and the public.” Transit Police Chief John Joyce agreed. “Trained canines provide an increased level of
security. We are fortunate to have a well-staffed canine unit, and we truly
appreciate the on-going support of the TSA to make this happen. Every transit
rider will benefit.” RTA’s first bomb-sniffing dogs were added in
2006. Background
TSA's National Explosives Detection
Canine Team Program prepares dogs and handlers to serve on the front lines of
America's “War on Terror.” These effective, mobile teams can quickly locate and
identify dangerous materials that may present a threat to transit systems. They
can quickly rule out the presence of dangerous materials in unattended
packages, structures or vehicles, allowing the free and efficient flow of
transit users. During the Explosives Detection Canine
Handler Course at Lackland, police officers are paired with one of TSA's canine
teammates. These dogs are bred specifically for the program by TSA. German
Shepherds, Belgian Malanoises, Vizslas and other types of dogs are used in the
program because of their keen noses and affinity for this type of work. In
addition to providing a highly trained dog and handler training, TSA helps fund
handler salaries, care and feeding of the canines, veterinary and other costs
associated with the dog, after the teams return to their hometowns. After dog and handler are paired up, they learn
to locate and identify a wide variety of dangerous materials while working as
an effective unit. This training includes search techniques, as well as
procedures for identifying dangerous materials and alerting the handler when
these materials are present. FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES
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