The U.S. Border Patrols Best Weapon..The Loyal K - 9

K-9 handler and instructor Christopher Jbara works with his dog Brita, who alerts on a truck at the checkpoint near Tubac.

Austen led the search at sunset.
He walked through the southern Arizona desert looking left and right with his nose close to the ground.
Austen, a groenendael, or Belgian shepherd, sped through brush, tall weeds and rocky trails, leading Border Patrol agents to bags and sacks used to smuggle drugs. But the drugs, and those who transported them, were long gone.
The drug spot is close to a dirt road not far from a house south of Green Valley.
Agents said the area is known as a meeting point for people carrying drugs across the border and drivers who take them north.
What Austen smelled was drug residue left on the bags used to carry drugs, most likely 25 to 50 pounds of marijuana.
The canine unit is one of the Border Patrol’s tools for finding people and drugs smuggled across the border.
The Tucson sector has more than 70 dogs as part of its K-9 unit.
“We are seeing an increase in dogs in our sector, helping us get to situations faster and screen vehicles much quicker,” Border Patrol spokesman Michael Scioli said.
So far this fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, agents in the Border Patrol’s Tucson sector, which has about 3,100 agents, have arrested 281,201 people trying to cross the border illegally. That’s a 26 percent decrease from this time last year, when there were 378,239 arrests, Scioli said.
Last year agents seized 897,535 pounds of marijuana and more than 177 pounds of cocaine. This year they have seized 720,121 pounds of marijuana and more than 70 pounds of cocaine, Scioli said. Not all of those seizures are the result of dogs.
At least one dog is always working at the Interstate 19 checkpoint, which is a high-traffic stop.
Michael Lawler, Tucson sector K-9 coordinator, said checkpoints are the most difficult environment for dogs to work in because of the distractions.
“There’s wind, distracting odors, agents working around them, other dogs and, of course, the 1,500 vehicles that drive by every hour,” he said.
One of the sector’s top dogs – which agents did not want to name for security purposes – has found 42,889 pounds of marijuana with a street value of $34 million, 249 pounds of cocaine valued at $8 million, 10 pounds of methamphetamine worth $300,000, 1,500 suspected illegal immigrants and $70,000 in cash since 2001.
Lawler didn’t want to provide more details on how the dogs are used because he said smugglers use that information to adjust their smuggling tactics.
In the past couple of months, agents have come across false alarm signals from their dogs at the checkpoints.
Christopher Jbara, an agent and K-9 instructor, said he was recently working the checkpoint with Brita, his 3-year-old dog, when she alerted him to a car.
“We searched the car thoroughly and found nothing.”
He said the car had most likely been contaminated on one side of the border or the other and it was likely the driver was not aware.
“They do this so my dog hits the smell, forcing us to pull the car over for a second inspection, while the car with the load tries to sneak by a few cars behind,” Jbara said.
The contamination could have come from a small amount of marijuana left on the car, cocaine residue or water from a bong used to smoke marijuana.
“Any little residue and my dog will alert me to it,” Jbara said.
He said the car’s windshield had been washed by a window washer on the street before crossing the border, and the water used to clean it could have been contaminated with bong water.
“We have no confirmation of how these cars are being contaminated, but we are checking each car, and when our dogs alert us, we check the cars behind it, too.”
Every dog in the canine unit is trained to find both drugs and people.
“I couldn’t even try to explain how these dogs find that one concealed person in a van full of people, but they do,” said Lawler.
“That’s the part of the job an agent couldn’t do alone. That’s why we have these dogs working with us every day,” Lawler said.
The Border Patrol is neither breed- nor sex-specific when it comes to buying or breeding their dogs.
“It’s all up to the dog’s drive,” said Robert Lukason, staff instructor of the U.S. Border Patrol National Canine Facility.
Each dog working for the Border Patrol has gone through an extensive training program that starts as early as eight weeks after birth.
After the “puppy test,” dogs are tested at four, seven, 11 and 14 months, then begin the 10-week training program, said Lukason, who is in charge of training at least 150 dogs per year at the national training center in El Paso.
The dogs are trained to work along the U.S. borders with Canada and with Mexico. This year, 650 dogs are working nationwide with the Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The working life of the dogs varies depending on their location.
Some dogs work in the field, even in mountain areas. Others work at checkpoints. For the most part, they work from seven to nine years, Lukason said.
“The fitness level of these dogs doesn’t compare to a house dog,” he said. “These dogs are trained to work hard, long hours almost every day.”
Lawler’s dog, Baldo, is a 92-pound, 6-year-old Belgian malinois and German shepherd mix. He has helped agents find 20,000 pounds of marijuana, 8 ounces of cocaine and 560 people since the end of 2004.
“We spend most of the day with our dog. They live with us, and they work with us,” Jbara said. “I end up spending more time with my dog than with my family sometimes.”

Handler Ray Rivera watches as his dog Zarrah hits on some drugs during a training exercise in a warehouse on the West Side of Tucson.

K-9 handler and instructor Christopher Jbara and his dog Brita.

Border Patrol K-9 handler Richard Deanda works his dog Austen as they search spots south of Green Valley.

Handler Ruben Dominguez gives his toy as a reward after finding some drugs during a training exercise at a seized vehicle lot in Tucson.



U.S. Customs and Border Protection Trains Dogs to Detect Drugs and Humans
New Classes of Dual-Use Dog Teams Are Deployed to Field

WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that the agency will now train detector dogs to alert at the presence of illegal drugs and humans that might be concealed inside vehicles or shipping containers. At the agency’s Canine Enforcement Training Center in Front Royal, Virginia, new CBP canine teams are preparing for their role in protecting the American people from possible terrorists attempting to illegally enter the U.S. The first class of the new detector dog teams graduated on May 26. CBP plans to train and deploy an additional 100 dual-detection teams nationwide this year.

“CBP’s mission as the border law enforcement agency is to keep terrorists and terrorist weapons out of our country. These detector dog teams are supporting that important mission at our borders and checkpoints everyday,” said CBP Commissioner Robert C. Bonner. “CBP’s Canine Enforcement Program is protecting America with the largest and most diverse law enforcement canine program in the country. The detection capability of these animals is exemplary. They can screen a vehicle in seconds and perform a thorough exam in minutes, saving CBP Officers time, money, and resources.”

All of the canines used to detect narcotics and concealed humans are trained to alert their handlers by responding in a passive manner. When the dog detects the presence of drugs or humans, they sit at attention and wait for their reward, a toy fashioned from a rolled up terrycloth towel.

“One of my responsibilities at the Training Center is to make sure that taxpayer dollars are used wisely. The training of dual detection canines not only enhances our detection capabilities of both narcotics and concealed humans, but it is the right thing to do economically. We are getting more bang for our buck,” stated Lee T. Titus, Director of the Canine Enforcement Program.

During the 13-week training course, the dogs are first trained to detect narcotics and then to detect concealed humans. The CBP Office of Border Patrol (BP) has trained their dogs in dual detection capabilities for years. “One of the great things about all the border agencies falling under one agency is that we can learn intently from each other,” Titus added. “We didn’t have to start from scratch, as the technique for training dogs to alert to the scent of humans had already been mastered by the Border Patrol instructors.”

Border Patrol K-9 Detects Hidden Marijuana

Blythe, Calif. – U.S. Border Patrol agents seized two vehicles, several bundles of marijuana and arrested two drug smugglers Monday in two separate incidents in Blythe.

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Blythe Station stopped a 2010 Nissan Rogue just after midnight on Monday morning. During the stop, a Border Patrol canine team alerted to the rear of the vehicle, indicating the likely presence of hidden persons or narcotics. Agents discovered five large plastic-wrapped bundles stuffed with marijuana in the rear of the vehicle.

U.S. Border Patrol K-9 agents discover bundles of marijuana hidden in the quarter panels of a 1997 Toyota Tercel during a traffic stop in Earp, Calif, early Monday morning. Smuggling tactics such as this are becoming more and more common as desperate smugglers attempt to move their contraband through the interior of the United States.

Later that morning, Blythe Border Patrol agents stopped another vehicle, a 1997 Toyota Tercel in Earp, Calif. After the driver offered several misleading and contradictory statements to the agents, a Border Patrol canine team was called. The canine team alerted to the vehicle, and a subsequent search revealed several bundles of marijuana hidden beneath the vehicle’s carpeting.

In all, Blythe Border Patrol agents seized 170 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value of $136,000. The vehicles were seized by the Border Patrol, and the smugglers and marijuana were turned over to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.

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 Border Patrol K-9 searching with his best tool on a semi truck..His Nose!

The Canine Enforcement Training Center (CETC)

During the latter part of 1969, as part of the drive against drug smuggling, the Customs Service carried out a study to determine the feasibility of using dogs in the detection of narcotics and dangerous drugs. After a detailed study which identified factors involved in the acquisition and use of dogs to assist in Customs examination and search operations, the recruitment of skilled dog trainers and officers from the various branches of the military service began in January 1970.

In March 1970, in cooperation with the Department of Defense, training facilities, logistics, and temporary support were acquired at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

On April 1, 1970, the experimental narcotic detector dog training program began. Efforts were concentrated on training dogs to detect and respond to marijuana and hashish. In August 1970, in response to the President's concern about the ever-increasing problem of drug abuse, Customs embarked on an experiment to determine the feasibility of training dogs to detect heroin and cocaine. By the end of September 1970, it was proven that it was possible for the same dogs to be trained to detect all four substances.

In 1973, as a result of the success of the narcotic detector dog program and increasing requirements for future training, the Customs Service embarked on the project of establishing an independent training center. At that time, excess government property was procured for the creation of the Canine Enforcement Training Center, near Washington, D.C.

In July 1974, the detector dog training operation was relocated from San Antonio, Texas, to its current location outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.. At that time, the training operation took possession of 240 acres of property that was formerly a beef cattle research

center, and prior to that, a U.S. Cavalry Remount Station. The property consisted of several hay barns, cattle stalls, large pastures, and wooded areas. Over a period of several years, these facilities were renovated into administrative offices, classrooms, and kennel buildings.

Due to the complexity of the tasks assigned to the detector dog program, it was renamed the Canine Enforcement Program in 1980. Subsequently, the Training Center was renamed the Canine Enforcement Training Center (CETC). In 1988, a facilities improvement plan was developed to upgrade the CETC's existing facilities to provide for an all-weather training capability.

In 1991, Congress approved funding for the facility improvement plan. The actual construction and renovation of the facilities began in 1993. This plan has currently provided the CETC with upgraded utilities (electrical and water), a new 100-run kennel building, a laundry facility, a training building, a small arms firing range, vehicle training areas, and improved training roads. A new academic building was opened to provide much improved classroom facilities. Also, construction will begin to improve the canine isolation and quarantine facility.

The CETC currently has a staff of over 50, which consists of instructors, animal caretakers, storage specialists, and administrative personnel. The Center’s average canine population is between 100-175 dogs on a daily basis, with a yearly training output of over 120 CBP canine teams.

On March 1, 2003 the Department of Homeland Security was formed. This effectively married the canine resources of the former U.S. Customs Service, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture under a new agency entitled U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). CBP currently maintains two separate canine programs to meet the needs of the agency’s diverse responsibilities. The Office of Field Operations (OFO) canine program encompasses over 800 canine teams who are primarily stationed at airports, seaports and landborder crossings. The Office of Border Patrol (OBP) canine program has over 450 canine teams who maintain responsibility for the areas between the ports of entry.