Meet the QC Bomb Squad dogs that sniff out the threat of explosives
On Tuesday April 15, a bomb threat closed down streets around the Scott County Courthouse and Jail.
Luckily, Maggie with the Quad City bomb squad was able to sniff the container and find that there was no threat. Maggie is a Springer Spaniel bomb dog who uses her nose to detect explosives. While she may not look like a typical police dog, her work is important.
Along with her coworker, Labrador Retriever Kelce, they are able to help keep the Quad Cities safer. The dogs undergo a five-week training at Cedar Creek Kennels. Rock Island County Deputy Steve Rusk trained with Maggie at Cedar Creek and also continues training at the QC Canine Club. He says every day is an opportunity to learn something new with his canine companions.
'You're not gonna fool the dog. The problems that you run into aren't the dog, they're yourself. The dog – they're spot on. They're not gonna make a mistake.' said Rusk
The dogs are trained to associate the smell of explosives with their toys. To them detecting a bomb is no different than playtime. Rusk says Maggie is an energetic dog and that is something that's necessary for the work they do. 'I keep her with that high drive and keep her wanting to hunt and search locate.'
At the end of the day the dogs go home and live with their partners. 'It's a 24 hour a day job because if you're off that day you still have to take care of the dog and work with them.' He adds when it's time to go to work Maggie is ready. 'She knows when you get the leash out its time to go to work and she knows what she has to do.'
When Maggie or Kelce detect a threat, that's when the commander of the QC Bomb Squad, Rock Island County Deputy Marcus Herbert, comes in.
He goes through a process to verify what the dog is sniffing is explosive, and x-rays the device to identify it. Herbert says even in instances where they have found real bombs, he is confident in his training. He was trained at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, and says the training is a cross between the military, FBI, and ATF.
'I'm very confident in the training that they provide us and taking care of things, we need to when the situations arise.' he adds 'I really want to thank the men and women who are in our military. Without them bringing the information back to us we wouldn't have any idea how to do these things.'
Herbert says even though he is confident in his training, having the bomb dogs with him brings him comfort. 'She's got a very good nose on her. She hasn't failed us yet.'
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