6 Ways K9 Explosive Detection Services Secure Chicago Buildings

Dogs are historically known for their use when it comes to hunting. The Daschund was bred to track down badgers and foxes both above and below ground. Beagles can sniff out specific pests such as bedbugs and foreign diseases. 

K9 explosive detection services are one area where dogs can come in especially handy. An explosive detection dog can help find harmful devices or materials before they threaten human lives. They're useful for more than cargo screening at airports, though.

Here are six ways that an explosive detection dog can keep your Chicago building safe.

1. Perimeter Patrols

The first reason to invest in professional canine services is because you can use them for perimeter patrols around your building. 

Not every potential threat is meant for the inside of your property. Planting a bomb inside is more risky for a person and makes them more easily found. Instead, some common areas to plant bombs include around entrances or under vehicles. 

An explosive detection dog can detect any explosives hidden nearby. In addition, they may flag an individual before they even make it into the building. 

On top of that, a patrolling K9 unit and their explosive detection canine handler pose a visible threat to potential bombers. They're a much better deterrent than something like a security camera. People are also more wary of dogs than they are normal security guards.

2. Vehicle Inspections

A threat doesn't need to be visible for a K9 unit to detect it, though. You can also rely on them to inspect vehicles that have entered your property or parked near the main building. 

Dogs are remarkable at sniffing out contraband and explosives, regardless of how well hidden they are. These items leave a trace that dogs can follow to pinpoint their location. 

Most importantly, an explosive detector dog can find out what buildings potentially contain explosive materials. This is crucial for preventing car bombs or other vehicle-born explosives from approaching your building and everyone within it. 

Normally, a law enforcement official cannot enter a vehicle without either a warrant or if they have a probable search cause. However, a trained police dog can sniff the outside of a vehicle and give them probable cause depending on its reaction. 

Since the dog never entered the car, it's not considered trespassing. It also does not constitute a search, which means that the trained K9 unit allows a handler some extra legal reach. 

3. Baggage and Parcel Screening

When it comes to the inside of your building, K9 units can be much more efficient. You can use their sense of smell to screen a variety of bags, parcels, and other carried items as people enter the premises. 

You could either station the dogs at certain checkpoints as an extra form of security or have them wander around. They're especially useful in public buildings such as airports and commercial complexes that see a lot of foot traffic. 

If a K9 unit reacts to an item a person is carrying, the handle can then pull that person aside and check it for dangerous contraband. The handler can then notify the authorities if they need to lock down or evacuate an area.

4. Crowd Screening

Screening visitors is no simple task when you deal with large crowds on a daily basis. You may not have the means to scan every single person's belongings if multiple entrances and different businesses are operating out of a single property. 

As such, you'll need a way to identify potential criminals within the chaos. 

A dog's sense of smell is so perceptive that it can detect an individual carrying explosives, even in a crowd. It doesn't matter if that individual blends themselves in with other people or tries to cover up the odors with perfume or cologne.

They can even track these scents over long distances, so they're useful for covering larger properties. Your K9 units can work alongside official law enforcement to find potential threats long after they've left the premises. 

5. Building Interior Patrols

You won't only want to set up patrols outside of your building. K9 explosive detection units are just as, if not more, effective working on the inside. 

All K9 dogs are well-trained and can handle a variety of situations much better than your average house pet. They can deal with screaming babies, disruptive guests, and large crowds. As such, they're perfect for doing interior patrols to check for any threats. 

In fact, K9 teams are often more effective than standalone security guards. They function well as a crime deterrent, as most people wouldn't want to end up on the wrong side of a dog bite. The dog may also be much faster than their handler, which means they'll be able to catch a criminal more efficiently. 

6. Emergency Response

Even if you don't have K9 units actively deployed at a location, they can easily be brought in to help deal with an emergency situation. Maybe your business location received a bomb threat, and you need to verify its validity. They're also useful if someone finds an abandoned bag and they're unsure whether or not it contains something dangerous. 

Professional canine services work very fast, with K9 units being able to explosives within a matter of minutes. They're easy to deploy throughout a building as well as on the outside of your property. 

The team that works with these canines should be able to work with local law enforcement and bomb squads to neutralize the threat without setting everyone into a panic.

Stay Safe With K9 Explosive Detection

K9 explosive detection in Chicago is important if you want to keep your building and its guests safe from potential threats. While explosive attacks are rare, they are also devastating. You can also rely on these dogs to detect other problems such as weaponry and other dangerous contraband. 

3DK9 provides drug-sniffing dogs, explosive detection dogs, and K9 patrol units in every US state. You can find us in every major US city, including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and learn more about our services.