Forensics

S&T Snapshot: S&T Helps Explosive Detection Canine Teams get REDDI

Dogs are uniquely suited to sniffing out explosives – their sense of smell is more than a million times stronger than a human’s.  Harnessing this natural ability to help law enforcement identify explosives requires specialized training and testing. Many detection canine teams, however, have limited access to critical training materials and limited time to establish rigorous training scenarios. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) Detection Canine Program has developed an initiative to support these needs for the nation’s more than 4,000 explosives detection canine teams.

The DHS S&T Detection Canine Program, part of S&T’s Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Explosives Division, has created the Regional Explosives Detection Dog Initiative (REDDI), a series of events aimed at advancing the knowledge and capabilities of the nation’s detection canine teams.