What do K-9 officers do on the job at MGM National Harbor?

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. ( DC News Now ) — Thousands of people visit the MGM National Harbor every year to enjoy the casino, eat good food and attend shows and concerts. With so many visitors there is tight security at the facility that includes six K-9 dogs and handlers.

Joe Doa is the Vice President of corporate security for MGM Resorts. He said the K-9 teams bring a lot to the table to deter crime.

“It’s important because guests not looking to do harm love to see the dogs and that’s an extra layer of security and criminals who do want to do harm do not like seeing the dogs and we want to make sure that’s applied to what we have going on,” Doa told DC News Now.

The security dogs are black laborers who are explosives detection dogs. Other K-9’s at the MGM National Harbor can also detect weapons like guns and gunpowder.

A few weeks ago, the dog teams were recognized for their work protecting the MGM. Handler Shawnteria Barbour tells DC News Now it felt good getting recognized for her work alongside her partner, Luna.

“It’s always great to be recognized for the hard work we put in on the job,” Barbour said. “All the bonding and training we do with the dogs, the real ones who deserve all the recognition are the dogs. They work harder than most of us.”

Companywide, MGM has 35 K-9 teams protecting resorts around the country, a program that started six years ago. Doa said the program is invaluable.

“The dogs we have here, their ability to sense things is 100 times greater than what we see in humans so having that ability, obviously they are much better than us in detecting so we need that as part of our security apparatus.”

Once a year the handlers and their K-9 partners take classes to recertify.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.