Two SPD K9 units now qualified for explosives detection

The Sarasota Police Department has developed a higher sense of smell as officers Jake Nelson and Adam Bearden, alongside their dedicated four-legged partners K9 Brody and K9 Bruin, recently completed explosive ordnance detection (EOD) training. 

Teaming up with Cory McDonnell from Grassroots K9 Sarasota, the officers trained more than 120 hours with their K9 companions to detect explosives' odors.

The training culminated in an exam by evaluators from the U.S. Police Canine Association. The human and canine teams were tested on various scenarios to ensure their development of enhanced EOD skills. 

With up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses, compared to about 6 million in humans, dogs have an elevated sense of smell. In addition, the part of a dog's brain devoted to analyzing smells is about 40 times greater than that of humans. 

K9s Brody and Bruin now possess the skill set to inspect suspicious packages, clear parade routes and secure other special events at larger venues.