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Dogs Sniff For Explosives In Test At Tampa Stadium

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By VALERIE KALFRIN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 10, 2008

TAMPA - Crosby, a 17-month-old Labrador, poked his nose into a series of paint cans set in a circle inside Raymond James Stadium.

Inside were odors meant to test the dog, the newest canine in the Tampa field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Coffee? Uninterested.

Spices? Pass.

Chemical explosives? Jackpot.

The ATF gathered about a dozen explosive-detection dogs at the stadium this morning to ensure their sniffers are up to snuff.

The federal agency is training the dogs through Thursday so the animals can pass a national odor-recognition test of 10 specific smells. The test is required by the U.S. Attorney General, said Cody Monday, the ATF's lead canine instructor.

The training is somewhat related to the Super Bowl, to be held at the stadium Feb. 1. Monday said the ATF often helps prepare local law enforcement officers for national events.

The odors include smokeless powder and peroxide-based explosives, which are homemade explosives of the type British citizen Richard Reid attempted to detonate aboard a U.S. jetliner in 2001, Monday said. Reid, the "shoe bomber," is serving a life sentence in a federal prison.

At the stadium, three clusters of paint cans contained the key scents and "distracters" such as coffee, treats or lotion, Monday said. Whenever a dog detected explosives, it sat next to the can for a reward — in Crosby's case, a nibble of dog food.

Tampa police Master Patrol Officer Tom Cotton said his German shepherd partner, Antar, adapted to the test well.

On Antar's first try at the paint cans, "a lot of times I had to go around one or two times to get him to imprint on the odor," Cotton said. "Today, he hit on every can the first time."

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800.

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