A variety of law enforcement officers and their dogs descended on a large area inside Lexington’s Central Bank Center Wednesday. The dogs and their handlers were taking part in explosive detection training.
More than a dozen canisters were placed in circles in the large exhibit hall. The dogs and officers participated in National Odor Recognition Testing. Lead Instructor Cody Monday said trends in explosive use dictate what items are found in cans. “You’ll see them going around the cans behind me and they have to find ten explosives out of the 30 samples of cans that we have. So we have actual explosives and distractor odors and they have to be able to distinguish the difference between an actual explosive and a distractor,” said Monday.
Tyler Bennett and his three year old black Labrador Ela help provide public safety at the Ark Encounter in northern Kentucky. “She’s a rock star. Like a guy I work with likes to say. I’m just here to hold the lease. She does all the work. Makes me look good,” explained Bennett.
First tasked in 1997 to offer the odor recognition testing, Monday said his staff travels across the country offering the program to local, state, and federal police officers. There are six mandatory explosives used in testing including TNT, Black Powder, and Ammonium Nitrate. Monday says the most popular dogs to use in this investigative work are Labradors, German Shepherds, and Belgium Malinois.
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