Dallas and Bruno, two black Labrador retrievers at the Jackson airport, wagged their tails and strutted happily for the media crowd at Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport on Wednesday as they received their official introduction to Mississippi.
While these fluffy young dogs may look like the perfect pet, they’re not there to play with or spend a leisurely vacation at the airport. They have work to do.
The Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, in partnership with the Transportation Security Administration, introduced two of its three new K9 security units. Airport officials say they are the state’s first explosive detection dog team.
“The addition of this new TSA K9 team to JAN is a significant and welcome addition to our ongoing efforts to ensure a safe environment for all,” said Rosa Beckett, CEO of JMAA.
The new K-9 team is “single-purpose trained,” hired exclusively for explosive detection, and will monitor seven airports in Mississippi. Efforts to establish a K-9 team began in 2019 when Kim Jackson, federal security director for Jackson Airport, contacted TSA leadership about establishing a K-9 security team in Mississippi.
The dogs were trained at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, where they had a handler. Bruno and his handler LaShundre Reeves, who have been together since 2017, came to Mississippi from Atlanta. They have already been on several missions, including Formula 1 and several Super Bowls.
“We are very excited to bring our expertise and experience to the state of Mississippi,” said Reeves.
Bruno and his handler LaShundre Reeves gave a live demonstration of the dog’s tasks and abilities at the airport. At the security check, passengers received a surprise visit from a furry friend on their way to the metal detector.
But it’s not all fun and games. Bruno, who follows each passenger to track down their bags, walks away if there are no explosives inside. However, if he spots explosives, he changes his behavior slightly to alert Reeves.
While the reaction of each sniffer dog is different, Bruno’s demonstration showed how he followed the passenger with the prepared “explosive device” and stayed near her suitcase for much longer than he did with the other passengers.
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The effort to bring a canine patrol team to the state comes as part of a security upgrade that will soon include new screening equipment and technology.
Beckett said that despite Jackson’s small size, the approval to acquire a canine team underscores Jackson’s importance as the state capital, adding that Jackson and its safety are important “not only in the state of Mississippi, but throughout the air service network.”
This article originally appeared in the Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson MS Airport introduces official K-9 team
