Policy Text
Court and Security Services-Air port Division Pages 1 of 6 210/02 (REV 10/07)
Canine General Responsibilities and Deployment Guidelines
The purpose of this Order is to d efine the general responsibili ties and guidelines for the
deployment of the Sacramento Inte rnational Airport (SMF) Explos ive Detection Canine
Teams. I. General
The TSA National Explosives Dete ction Canine Team Program (NEDC TP) exists
to deter and detect the introducti on of explosive devices into the transportation
system. In addition, bomb threat s cause disruption of air, lan d and sea
commerce, and pose an unacceptabl e danger to the traveling publ ic and should
be resolved quickly. Explosives Detection Canine Teams are a p roven reliable
resource to detect explosives and are a key component in a bala nced counter-
sabotage program. The use of highl y trained Explosives Detecti on Canine
Teams is also a proven deterrent to terrorism directed towards transportation
systems and provides a timely and mobile response support to fa cilities, rail
stations, airports, passenger te rminals, seaports and surface c arriers.
II. Utilizations
A. Explosive Detection Canine Teams (EDCT) will conduct random
utilizations throughout their da ily shifts. The type and freque ncy of the
utilizations will be det ermined by the current Homeland Securit y Advisory
System (HSAS) Threat Condition, i nput from the Transportation S ecurity
Administration (TSA), local credi ble threat intelligence, etc. Utilizations are
broken down into f our (4) categories:
1. Cargo: Congress has mandated the amount of time the Canine
Unit must devote to searching domestic cargo. Time spent on
searches, training and public vis ibility patrol on the AOA in t he
cargo facilities and planeside ar eas counts toward meeting this
requirement. Each canine handl er will make every effort to mee t or
exceed the current standard.
2. Intensified Canine Patrol Str ategies (ICPS): Search activit ies shall
be performed in areas prone to hav e large numbers of travelers
gathered who are awai ting screening or che cking into the airpor t.
Canine teams should focus their ICPS activities at key location s to
Court and Security Services-Air port Division Pages 2 of 6 210/02 (REV 10/07) include checkpoints, ticket count ers, curbside, baggage claim,
parking lots and non- sterile areas of the airport.
3. Pro-active Search: A self-in itiated deterrence patrol that involves a
random sweep or search of a s pecific area or item.
4. Requested Search Response: A request to search a specific a rea
or item in response to a securit y breach or suspicious activity .
B. Homeland Security Advisory Systems (HSAS) Threat Conditions
1. GREEN, BLUE and YELLOW: EDCT should conduct patrols of
public areas throughout the terminals with emphasis placed on checkpoints, ticket counters, res trooms, phone booths, waiting
areas, front of terminal, baggage cl aim, etc. EDCT should be
aware of the need to increase m onitoring of baggage claim areas
and ticket counters for unattended bags during peak periods of
traffic. EDCT should conduct qua lity training to maintain prof iciency
levels.
2. ORANGE: EDCT should react with progressive measures based
upon credible threat intelligenc e. EDCT resources will be mana ged
to ensure adequate coverage at t he airport during normal hours of
operation. EDCT should continue to conduct quality training to
maintain proficiency levels.
3. RED: Implement all items list ed under condition ORANGE. ED CT
training should be conduct ed on a limited basis.
C. Security Directives
1. Security Directives outline aviation requirements associated with
the heightened level of security nation- wide. These documents
address specific actions required in relation to the threat ana lysis.
2. A Security Directive will no rmally be issued at the time the HSAS
threat condition is raised.
III. Deployment Guidelines
A. While on duty, Explosive Det ection Canine teams should be di spatched to
calls which maximize their benef it to the Sacramento Internatio nal Airport.
A canine team may be used under the following circumstances:
1. When an airline or business located on airport property, a
Sacramento Sheriff’s Deputy, or a TSA representative requests a n
explosives detection team to inv estigate a suspicious object NO T
immediately identifi ed as an explosive dev ice. Items which are
Court and Security Services-Air port Division Pages 3 of 6 210/02 (REV 10/07) identified as a possible explos ive device shall not be evaluate d
further by canine.
2. When a vehicle, aircraft, objec t or structure is the subject of a bomb
threat.
3. When there has been a breach of security and an aircraft or sterile
area (i.e. concourse, boarding ga te, etc.) needs to be evacuate d
and searched.
4. When an unattended bag and/or package has been located and
identified as “suspicious”.
5. Where a device has already been located or detonated and a
search is necessary for a possible secondary device.
6. Canine teams may be used to a ssist another agency/entity in
accordance with mutual