Orlando’s TSA dog team hunts for explosives, keeps millions of people safe
ORLANDO, Fla. Feb 12 2020
Anybody who flies knows passenger security is an elaborate and at times a lengthy process. Passenger safety demands that people, equipment and more be put in place to keep us safe.
WESH 2 News recently got an up-close look at how Orlando International Airport’s canine team plays a significant role in our flying security.
One of 23 K-9’s on patrol at Orlando International Airport trained by the Transportation Security Administration is Rafa. The Orlando group is one of the larger K-9 teams in the country.
“Orlando is the premiere destination spot in the state of Florida for sure, we just want to make sure we provide the appropriate level of security for those people who are coming here on a once in a lifetime visit, or the business traveler who routinely comes here for conventions.,” Daniel Barber, with TSA Orlando said.
The training needed for Rafa and his cohorts is not cheap.
“Standard explosive detection K-9 it’s around $25,000, for a passenger screening K-9 which is an added capability we have with TSA here in Orlando it’s around 75,000 to get the K-9 through training and certified,” Barber said.
By the time the purchase of the dog is added in, as well as the salaries paid as the dog is trained, the price tag is just over $200,000.
All of it is paid for by the TSA.
TSA officials said the security gains, because the dogs are mobile and accurate, make it well worth the cost.
“Wherever the threat might be around the airport footprint, we’re able to rapidly deploy them to deter and detect any sort of known or unknown threat,” Barber said.
Rafa’s handler, Scott Lassiter, said that in the three years the pair have been a team, Rafa’s discovered weapons and more.
“He has come across weapons, that he’s responded to fireworks, anything that has an explosive odor, because that’s what he’s trained for,” Lassiter said.
The words “Do Not Pet” cover the vest of every working K-9.
TSA officials said they realize the dog is cute and that people might want to reach down and give it a scratch on the ear, but with weeks and weeks of training, to be effective at what it does, the work cannot be interrupted.
“Training is ongoing, as soon as they get to their airport of assignment, training happens every single day, many hours a day, just to make sure we keep the dog’s proficiency levels up,” Barber said.
Lassiyer said Rafa is absolutely essential to public security.
The work of the dogs protects the 50 million passengers who pass through Orlando International each year.
The TSA trains all the bomb sniffing K-9s at its training facility in San Antonio. The dogs are purchased from vendors.
When they retire, they will sometimes go to their handlers or other times they are adopted out.
WESH2
