

The camaraderie between the various organizations was clear as they compared their canines and swapped stories. Karl Stefanowicz, Kennel Master at Columbus AFB, the reason Columbus AFB’s MWD unit responds off-base is a bilateral agreement with Lowndes County to provide humanitarian support for bomb threats. “We respond to a lot of off-base incidents, so the face time with the people outside of the military is beneficial.”Īccording to Staff Sgt. “The biggest benefit of coming out here today is getting your face out there, working with these agencies,” said Senior Airman Valentino Blank, 14th Security Forces Squadron Military Working Dog handler. Many of the handlers agreed on the importance of joint work. “Without that collaboration, the ability to detect explosives at venues like this would be greatly diminished.” “This is a collaboration between the FBI, the military, and state and local law enforcement who run K-9s,” Grant said. In addition to reinforcing training for the dogs, a major focus of the event was improving relationships between the various units. According to Grant, improvised explosives are manufactured at home and are often associated with international and domestic terrorism, while commercial explosives are products purchased in their explosives state. Throughout the morning K-9 teams took turns sweeping the stadium for training devices set out in advance by the FBI, practicing detecting a variety of improvised and commercial explosives.
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Humans can use equipment that can also detect explosives, but the dogs can find things quicker.” “This is very important training primarily because the dogs can sweep a large venue – a school, a stadium, a mall – in a rapid fashion. “This is the second time we have done this, and by far the largest turnout we have had,” Grant said. Units in attendance included the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department, Mississippi Highway Patrol, Mississippi Fire Marshal, South Haven Police Department, and Mississippi State University campus police. 16 to perform joint explosives detection training at Mississippi State University in Starkville.Īccording to Special Agent Brandon Grant, bomb technician for the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the training was held to improve the canines’ detection of improvised and commercial explosives. Military Working Dog teams from Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, as well as K-9 units from throughout the state, met with the Federal Bureau of Investigations Feb. 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs.He and his wife currently live in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Adam’s creative work focuses on nature, our perception of the past and rural spaces that seem to exist there.

He earned a BA and MA in English with an emphasis in literature from the University of Southern Mississippi. Shoulders / maul.Īdam Moore was born in Mississippi where he grew up hunting and practicing wildlife and habitat conservation with his father and family. Follow my father-ripe bar and / chain oil-drags ax. First Place Winner of the 2019 Ada Limón Autumn Poetry Contest judged by Julia Johnson.įelled hickory spines the ridge.
