Jackson airport gets a team of fluffy new friends

Dallas and Bruno, two black labrador retrievers at the Jackson airport, wagged their tails and strutted happily for the crowd of media at the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport on Wednesday as they received their official introduction to Mississippi.

While the fluffy young dogs may look like the perfect pets, they are not at the airport for playtime or for a leisurely vacation. 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, who, airport officials said, will be the state’s first explosive detection canine team.

“The introduction of this new TSA K9 team at JAN is a significant and welcomed addition to our ongoing efforts to ensure a safe environment for everyone,” said Rosa Beckett, CEO of JMAA.

The new K-9 team is “single purpose trained,” hired solely to sniff out explosives, and will be tasked with patrolling seven airports in Mississippi. The effort to get a K9 team started in 2019, when Kim Jackson, federal security director of the Jackson airport, reached out to TSA leadership about getting a K9 security team in Mississippi.

The dogs trained at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, where they were partnered with a handler. Bruno and his handler, LaShundre Reeves, who have been partnered since 2017, came to Mississippi from Atlanta. They have had several deployments including Formula One and multiple Super Bowls

“We're really excited to bring our expertise and our experience to the state of Mississippi,” Reeves said.

Bruno and his handler, LaShundre Reeves, gave a live demonstration of the K9’s tasks and skills inside the airport. At the security checkpoint, passengers on their way to the metal detector got a surprise visit from a furry friend.

But it isn’t just fun and games. Bruno, who follows each passenger to sniff out their bags, walks away if there are no explosives. If he detects an explosive, however, he gives a subtle change in behavior to alert Reeves.

While the response looks different for each K-9, Bruno’s demonstration showed him in hot pursuit of the passenger with the set up “explosive” as he lingered near her suitcase much longer than he did for the other passengers.

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The effort to get a K9 team into the state comes as a continuation of security upgrading, which will soon include new screening equipment and technology.

Beckett said that despite Jackson’s small footprint, approval to get a K-9 team underscores Jackson’s importance as the state’s capital city, adding that Jackson and its security are important “not just in the state of Mississippi, but in the entire air service network.”

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson airport gets a team of fluffy new friends