As thousands of fans stream through the gates into Major League Baseball stadiums in Detroit, Atlanta and St. Louis, a new style of training has security dogs moving with the crowds on the hunt for the scent of explosives.
Through a training style developed and patented in 2015 by Auburn University, Vapor Wake dogs—exclusively trained by AMK9 via a license with the university—don’t need a static object or person to mark as their obedience fixes to odor.
In Detroit, Richard Fenton, chief security officer for the Illitch family, took the next step, buying Vapor Wake dogs and then setting up a mechanism, a 501c3, to allow him to share the purchased dogs with other institutions in the city. The result is the dogs stay very active and are trained up-to-date with new threats. “They stay fresh; it was a creative way to solve that problem,” said Chris Robinette, Prevent Advisors, who studied the Detroit project. Other 501c3’s are now taking root in other cities, where everyone can integrate use of the dogs.
Ilitch Holdings own MLB’s Tigers and NHL’s Red Wings. While the Detroit dogs remain in heavy use at games at both Comerica Park and Joe Louis Arena (and starting in September, the new downtown Little Caesars Arena), Fenton has donated the use of the dogs and their handlers to local law enforcement agencies, including the Detroit Police Department, Michigan State Police and Wayne State University.
Fenton said donating the use of the dogs to neighboring agencies not only helps bolster the cooperation between the sports teams and those serving to help secure sporting venues, but it also keeps the dogs sharp and in year-round practice.
Ilitch Holdings was able to use its Ilitch Charities, specifically its Detroit Tigers Foundation, 501c3 nonprofit status to connect the Vapor Wake technology to the community through an initial investment of $135,000. The donation of the dogs to the three law enforcement agencies runs through the foundation, serving the goals of the charities in supporting the community.
“It is the only technology that can fill that gap for body-worn explosives on a moving target,” said Charlie McGinty, vice president at AMK9. If someone is carrying explosive material, it will leave a scent trail or vapor wake that the canine will detect and then lead the trained handler to the source of the scent.
A Vapor Wake dog, most commonly a Labrador retriever breed, can take up to 15 months to train. The $50,000 price tag on the dogs include the dog, Vapor Wake training and a seven-week course taught in Anniston, Ala., that matches a handler with the trained canine where, as McGinty says, “they bond together and learn to be a certified Vapor Wake team.”
AMK9 sells packages, such as they’ve done in Detroit, or rents the service with their own dogs and handlers.
Training teaches the dogs to sample the air behind hundreds of people moving toward a venue, a key factor in keeping the flow of fans unobstructed. “Everybody wants to have a good fan experience,” McGinty said. “This is a very unobtrusive way of screening people. Our canines can detect trace amounts of explosive material on a moving target.”
While sports venues have certainly taken notice, the Vapor Wake technology remains on the rise in New York City’s counterterrorism unit as new orders coming this year help supply dogs for events such as the Macy’s Day Parade. The St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves have proven regular supporters of Vapor Wake, as is the Arlington Fire Department, which works Dallas Cowboys games at AT&T Stadium.
Fenton said AMK9’s cooperation with the NCS4 lab run by Dr. Lou Marciani at the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, has proven critical in understanding the value of Vapor Wake. The lab constantly investigates how to make venues safer in the larger sense and specifically how to develop best practices and support programs. By continually testing new vendors, whether cameras, metal detectors or vehicle barricades, the NCS4 lab can do the heavy lifting. Dogs play a part, too.
As Vapor Wake has reached certification with the NCS4 lab, Fenton said cooperation from venue operators with the Department of Homeland Security’s subsector focused on commercial facilities, allows the sharing of intelligence and best practices around the country, giving security officials the best idea of how to use new methods, such as Vapor Wake. Without giving away the secrets of the trade, Fenton said that such a robust group of security experts can help devise strategies to combat current threats.
With one of those growing strategies the use of Vapor Wake dogs, Fenton said the labor-intensive process and expense makes this tool hard to obtain for some. “I think all of us in the private sector are looking for different ways to collaborate,” he said, about donating the use of the dogs. “We are pushing the envelope.”
SECURITY TIP OF THE MONTH
Ideas and suggestions on live event safety, security and crowd management from our friends at Prevent Advisors.
Protecting your organization's data and information systems can at times seem like a daunting effort, and it is. With a reported 65 percent year-on-year increase in "phishing" attacks, protecting critical systems will only become more challenging.
Tip: Healthy skepticism is your friend. Take the time to remind your team to never open files or click links from unsolicited emails without first confirming the sender's identity and the origin of the file. While such verification takes a small extra effort on the front end, consistent adherence to this common sense action will save any targeted system or organization immeasurable pain on the back end.