Bomb Dogs Screw the Pooch

markb · Sep 15, 2016

Bomb-sniffing K-9 teams at 10 major U.S. airports have failed tests that check how accurately they can detect explosives, according to an NBC News investigation.

New records obtained by KXAS through a Freedom of Information Act request call into question whether those dog teams are training enough to stay sharp and keep bombs out of airports and off planes by screening baggage, cargo and passengers for potential threats.

K-9 teams funded by the Transportation Security Administration have failed annual certification tests at 10 large airports 52 times between Jan. 1, 2013, and June 15, 2015, the most recent detailed numbers TSA provided. Some teams failed to find explosives, while others had too many false alarms that could cause unnecessary airport evacuations.

Dog teams failed 21 times at Los Angeles International, and 10 times at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C., during the same time period. Teams at Chicago's O'Hare, Reagan National in D.C., JFK in New York, San Diego and Bradley International in Hartford, Connecticut, all failed from one and three times.

At Love Field in Dallas, K-9 teams assigned to protect the airport failed four out of 14 tests with a failure rate of nearly 30 percent over two-and-a-half years. In 48 tests over the same time period, teams at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport failed five times, or 10 percent of the time.

The nation's busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, however, had only two failures in 75 tests (3 percent) over the same two-and-a-half year time period. All K-9s managed by the Atlanta Police Department passed while two TSA managed teams failed.

Overall, in the records provided by TSA for 10 major airports, dog teams passed 87 percent of their tests, or 350 out of 402. KXAS asked for more comprehensive national figures from TSA but has not yet received them.

K-9 teams that fail are pulled out of service and cannot work in airports again until they can pass the test, but experts KXAS spoke with say clusters of failures at some airports raise concerns about how well those teams are being managed.

The agency said teams performed better in the latter half of 2015 — with a 93-percent passing rate nationwide. But the agency would not share any detailed records for that time period or for 2016, so it's unknown if there are still some airports with clusters of failures.

"We rely on K-9 teams a lot more now than we ever have in the history of aviation security," said airport security consultant Jeffrey Price.

Price said the lives of passengers depend on how well the dog teams perform.

"Dogs have always been considered the gold standard in explosive detection. So when you're considered the best, you better be the best," said Price.
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http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bomb-dogs-failed-dozens-tests-10-large-u-s-airports-n648466

So, they do nothing, much as the screening does nothing aside from forcing a bunch of people to share the smell of their feet. Surprise, surprise.

Of course, it's Obama's fault.

Dayton Kitchens · Sep 15, 2016

For what its worth I was interviewed and then tested as a TSA screener some years ago.

So it could be worse.

NAHTMMM · Sep 15, 2016

markb said: ↑

Dog teams failed 21 times at Los Angeles International
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Well, that's near Hollywood, I'm sure the atmosphere is saturated with the stink of bombs.

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Bomb Dogs Screw the Pooch

markb Dirty Bastard

Dayton Kitchens Banned

NAHTMMM Perpetually sondering

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Bomb Dogs Screw the Pooch

markb Dirty Bastard

Dayton Kitchens Banned

NAHTMMM Perpetually sondering

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