ATF K9 Certification Training Held At Timonium Fairgrounds
TIMONIUM, Md. (WJZ) -- Before some of our four-legged friends in uniform start working out in the public, searching for explosives, many of them get certified at the Timonium Fairgrounds.
The ATF's National Odor Recognition Test is one of many training and testing sessions held across the country to make sure K9s are correctly identifying explosive material.
"We travel around the country 10 to 12 times a year," Cody Monday, of the ATF National Canine Divison, said. "We are offering training not only on homemade explosives, but the explosives that the owners may not have access to."
The test evaluates a K9s ability to detect 10 explosive odors.
It's a voluntary certification, but thousands of canine teams from law enforcement agencies across the country have worked to get the certification because it's a nationally recognized test that's sanctioned by Congress.
For ATF Special Aggen Michael Hodnett, and his K9 Sarah, the test is an important refresher to make sure they're as prepared as possible to respond in explosive investigations.
"It's a good chance to test us, test the dog to make sure we're both doing what we're supposed to be doing in training," Hodnett said.
The dogs can get recertified for the National Odor Recognition Test every two years.
