{"307901":{"#nid":"307901","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Tech\u2019s Best Friend Keeps Campus Safe","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen working on a college campus, one doesn\u2019t always think of a K9 unit as being an integral part of the overall community protection. However at Georgia Tech, the K9 Unit is not only a lively component of the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) but also an essential part of our campus safety initiatives.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESpecifically, GTPD deploys the capabilities of a canine\u2019s ultrasensitive olfactory receptors to search for explosives. Campus demand for this technology, which only a canine can deliver, is understandably quite high.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTech is situated in an urban environment, frequently attracts large crowds on campus, and hosts visiting dignitaries \u2014 all of which necessitate sweeping for explosives,\u201d said Sergeant Archie Hill. Last year\u2019s football game against the University of Georgia required six bomb-sniffing dogs to effectively cover Bobby Dodd Stadium.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech has three dogs in its highly trained K9 Unit. The most recent addition, Miley, joined last spring. At 6 years of age, this energetic Labrador has served three deployments in Afghanistan with the Marine Corps, making her the most decorated dog on the force. While Miley has a military background, it is actually Tech\u2019s partnership with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) that helps fund the acquisition, training, required equipment, and maintenance of Tech\u2019s highly specialized dogs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s relationship with GEMA and other state and local agencies has helped elevate Tech to become the preferred trainer of explosive-detecting K9 units throughout the state. Given the specialized skills required, there are only a few certified explosive K9 trainers in the state, one of which is GTPD\u2019s own Officer Rob Turner. Seventy percent of the nearly 100 dogs in K9 units throughout Georgia train with Turner.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cUnlike other training methods, we have to use live explosives where the dog is actively searching for more than 30 compounds of varying amounts,\u201d Turner said. \u201cEach training program is a little different, but at Tech we pride ourselves on having extraordinarily rigid testing standards \u2014 there is no room for error, and our dogs excel at being rock stars in this capacity.\u201d All three of GTPD\u2019s dogs routinely pass the certification test with 100 percent scores.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETurner, who partners with a bomb technician from the Gwinnett County Police Department, conducts trainings throughout the state, and recently assisted \u2013 along with Officer Zach Bryan and K9 Koda \u2013 in sweeping for potential explosives during last April\u2019s FedEx shooting in Kennesaw.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cNot only is deploying these resources when needed a part of the agreement with GEMA, but it is also the right thing to do for our community both at Tech and the greater metropolitan area,\u201d said Hill. Turner and his K9 Unit have assisted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Homeland Security. They observed Independence Day by helping with the celebration at Stone Mountain Park.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen asked about his relationship with his special four-legged friends, Turner can\u2019t help but smile. He says that while it can take anywhere up to eight months to form a good working relationship with these dogs, they eagerly become part of your family in a matter of minutes.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAt Georgia Tech, the K9 Unit is not only a lively component of the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) but also an essential part of our campus safety initiatives.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"At Georgia Tech, the K9 Unit is not only a lively component of the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) but also an essential part of our campus safety initiatives."}],"uid":"27164","created_gmt":"2014-07-14 08:54:08","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:16:45","author":"Rachael Pocklington","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-07-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2014-07-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"307821":{"id":"307821","type":"image","title":"Officer Rob Turner and Miley","body":null,"created":"1449244708","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:58:28","changed":"1475895017","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:17","alt":"Officer Rob Turner and Miley","file":{"fid":"199784","name":"turner_and_miley.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/turner_and_miley.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/turner_and_miley.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1158502,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/turner_and_miley.jpg?itok=qGWPUZDY"}},"308231":{"id":"308231","type":"image","title":"Officer Zach Bryan and Koda","body":null,"created":"1449244708","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:58:28","changed":"1475895017","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:17","alt":"Officer Zach Bryan and Koda","file":{"fid":"199792","name":"officer_zach_and_koda.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/officer_zach_and_koda_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/officer_zach_and_koda_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1260745,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/officer_zach_and_koda_0.jpg?itok=mlUWh9ir"}}},"media_ids":["307821","308231"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/police.gatech.edu\/","title":"GTPD"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2408","name":"campus safety"},{"id":"2543","name":"GTPD"},{"id":"97751","name":"K9 Unit"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESergeant Archie Hill\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Tech Police Department\u003Cbr \/\u003E404.385.6186\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}