At the TSA’s demonstration, handler Dustin Linkins leads his German shorthaired pointer Apis through the concourse.
Apis seems thrilled to be out with Linkins. He jumps up and down, seemingly running in multiple directions at once, and returns to Linkins for encouragement.
Watch the TSA's demonstration:
http://vimeo.com/70558309
But these dogs are here for a purpose. When the dogs smell an explosive, the handlers look for what fellow handler Eric Bonner calls a "change in behavior."
"You’ll see a dog sometimes throw its head up in the air. Sometimes throw its head down. Close its mouth and sniff more intently," Bonner said. "Those are things that we consider a change in behavior."
In the simulation, a woman allegedly carrying something suspicious walks by and Apis’ back arches, his snout lowers and Apis follows less than a foot behind her. Linkins has to throw a tennis ball to get the dog to stop trailing the woman.
The canine teams have been operational at the airport for six months. Federal Security Director Bob Cohen said they arrived a year ago for training and certification.
Southwest Florida International is one of 24 airports nationwide that has these TSA canine units.
Cohen said unlike the airport security dogs, the TSA units focus on passenger screening at checkpoints and the public areas beyond the checkpoints.
"Our mission is primarily checkpoint and in," Cohen said. "The legacy dogs work the public areas, terminals, vehicles so you got both missions being covered and you’ve got a good integrated effort by airport and TSA."
The TSA’s three dogs double the number of canine units at the airport. Cohen said he expects to have a fourth passenger screening canine team in the next few months.
