Hiring a bomb dog company:
Are you asking the right questions?*

Law enforcement and military bomb dogs were in very short supply before the devastating terrorist attack on 11 September 2001. Subsequent to 11 September, the requests for bomb dogs have out stripped all available resources.

To fill the void, private bomb dog companies have sprouted around the country over the last ten years or so.  These companies are, for the most part, unregulated.  There are no nationally sanctioned standards of training and certification for private bomb dog teams.  The greatest concern is that a bomb dog company could be utilizing obsolete & dangerous techniques, and employing handlers with questionable and/or limited training and experience in explosive detection operations.

To assist anyone who is considering using a private bomb dog company, we offer the following information and questions you should ask.

How many years of explosive detection operations does the company have? Do they specialize in bomb detection dogs, or are they primarily breeders, trainers, or a drug sniffing dog company. Are the dogs cross-trained in reckless combinations, such as explosives, firearms & drugs in the same dog?  Bomb dogs should do only one task. There is no cost savings by having a cross trained dog.  What would happen if one of these cross trained dogs were to detect a pipe bomb and a bag of marijuana in the same employee locker?  The dog may get confused in such a dangerous situation. Does a company violate user confidentiality by listing client names on advertising, telling the world of the client's security measures?  Alternatively, is client information kept in the utmost of confidence? What is the experience of the company's management?  Are the managers themselves skilled in explosive detection canine operations, or are they simply marketers?  The preeminent experts in bomb dogs tend to have strong military and/or law enforcement backgrounds. Does the management of the company engage in any other facet of explosive detection operations other than canine; or are they limited in expertise? For example, do they offer training in such areas as bomb threat response & contingency planning, device recognition and search techniques?  Many workers who face bomb threats are asked to "check their area for anything suspicious." How are you supposed to do that? What is meant by "suspicious?" Does the management of the company understand the full scope of bombings and bomb threats in the areas they operate? Are they versed in terrorism? What about workplace violence? Can they identify which types of components are commonly used in explosive devices? What is the experience level of the handlers who will be assigned to your service? Do they have any military and/or law enforcement canine background?  Where did they receive their handler training?  Who sanctions and/or accredits the handler training (i.e. DOD, TSA, ATF, POST, etc) Can the company offer documentation of this? Does the company make active efforts to train with other groups and agencies? Or are they professionally isolated? They should be training with law enforcement and/or the military bomb dog teams from time to time. Are the handlers qualified in other bomb countermeasure skills (such as device recognition, hand search techniques, etc.) or are they simply dog walkers? Who trains the dogs?  What is the background of the canine trainer and/or kennel master?  You should expect a strong documented resume with a solid foundation in bomb dog training for any bomb dog trainer. Is the company willing to precisely explain all phases of canine training from day one? To what standard are the dogs trained. The top three national standards are the DOD, TSA, and ATF. Any of the three are excellent.  Anything other than those three should be questioned.  Is the explanation satisfactory? Are the dogs trained on the correct odors that compose the explosive and chemical compounds used in nearly all explosive devices? Does an independent canine evaluator test the dog teams at least annually?  By what organization agency is the evaluator accredited as a qualified explosive detection dog team evaluator?  The evaluator should be autonomous, and not a member of the same dog company you are looking at. Is the company willing to provide verifiable client references? Are the clients willing to provide reference not only on the company, but also on the individual managers and personnel themselves?

THE BOTTOM LINE
Keep in mind that explosive detection (bomb) dogs are a special category of detection canines. The bomb dog teams go forth into potentially life threatening situations.  We must be able to trust them to keep us safe.  Such a service done correctly is not inexpensive.  You are putting people's lives and the safety of your facilities in the hands of an explosive detection canine team. Are you sure that the company you are looking at is up to that responsibility?

*Reprinted with permission of Explosives Countermeasures International. www.nobombs.net