AVON — From local police agencies to TSA at the airport, K-9s and their handlers are an important tool in keeping the community safe.
“Every time we come to something big like this, we learn something from another agency or trainer,” Nate Hibschman, the Training Director for Central Indiana K-9 Association said.
K-9 Ari and his handler Keith Gray have been paired for nearly three years. The TSA canine team is headquartered at Indianapolis International Airport and is tasked with keeping passengers safe.
It is pieces of training, like Friday’s event at Avon Middle School North, that help prepare Ari and Gray for what they may encounter in the field. It is also a time the team can collaborate with others to improve.
The team joined more than 50 handlers and their dogs for the sixth-annual Multi-Agency K-9 Training Event.
Other agencies at the event came from local, county and even out-of-state. It was not just explosives training, patrol, search and rescue and narcotics scenarios that were set up in and around the school.
The TSA National Explosives Detection and Canine Program hosted the event alongside the Central Indiana K-9 Association.
According to TSA, more than 1,000 canine teams work nationwide screening cargo and travelers.
“They [K-9s] let their handlers and police officers, sheriff's deputies they let them go home safe at night, so they're a huge benefit for us and then they're also out here keeping the people the community safe,” Hibschman said.
-
What is an AVM? North side teen's survival story highlights rare brain condition
A high school senior on Indy's north side is raising awareness after suffering a rare brain condition that almost took his life.
Car chase leads to Monroe County Airport tarmac, search for suspect continues
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office is searching for a suspect in connection to a reported stolen car chase that continued onto the Monroe County Airport tarmac.
Sunday service returns to downtown Bloomington church months after serious fire
First Christian Church held services inside its Great Hall on Christmas Eve. It was the first time they worshiped inside the church since it caught fire on Oct. 1.
Autism warning signs: When behavioral changes signal need for evaluation
Hopebridge is headquartered in Indianapolis and operates as one of Indiana's largest autism therapy providers, with more than 20 locations throughout the state and centers in nine other states.
