Charleston International Airport has 2 new Specially trained Officers on Duty

North Charleston -  K-9 Hector, a 6-year-old specially trained German Shepherd, along with K-9 Scout a 2-year-old specially trained German Shorthaired Pointer arrived at the airport in August.

Patrol K-9 Hector is certified from North American Police Work Dog Association in the following disciplines: Off Leash Obedience, article search, area search, tracking, building search, aggression control, narcotic detection team. Explosive K-9 Scout is currently in training and expected to become certified in September.

“Our K9 Officers will serve as a frontline defense on America's war on terror, play a key role in keeping air transportation safe for travel and commerce. Their speed and flexibility in discovering the presence of explosives and ability to follow suspicious odors give them a real edge over currently available mechanical detection devices in many circumstances,” said Elliott Summey, CEO & Executive Director of Charleston International Airport. In addition, the canines are very popular with airport employees and visitors.

The CCAAPD K-9 unit is under the command of Lt. Jay Christmas, a 22-year law enforcement veteran with assignments as a K-9 handler, K-9 Unit Supervisor/ Trainer/ Kennel master, and narcotics detective. Christmas successfully completed 360 hours Multi-Purpose Trainer courses demonstrating the ability to understand and apply behavioral principles as they relate to canine training.

• Humans have 5 million receptor cells in their noses versus 220 million receptors cells in K-9 nose.
• K-9s can smell 44 times greater than humans because 50% of the K-9s nasal chamber is used for the sense of smell and 12% of its brain is dedicated to the sense of smell.
• A human’s field of vision is 180 degrees compared to a German Shepherd’s average field of vision of 240 degrees.
• Humans can hear 15 Hzt compared to 60 Hzt of the K-9, which means K-9s can hear 4 times farther than humans.
  
  

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