After a series of fake bomb threats last fall and winter, Oregon State University’s Public Safety Department began looking for a solution to improve safety on campus. The department recently welcomed a new bomb-sniffing dog, Tex, to its police force.
Tex is a 3-year-old black Labrador retriever who has been trained for explosive and firearm detection.
Here’s how it works: Tex and his handler — Zack Leingang, a police officer for OSU Public Safety — will enter a building before a large event to check for any threats. Tex will sniff around the building and sit next to a threat when he detects one. Tex is rewarded with a tennis ball after a correct detection.
Leingang said he and Tex can check an entire building at OSU in about 40 minutes, which is typically faster than a human detection team. OSU has previously partnered with other law enforcement agencies to use bomb threat detection dogs for large events.
Jim Yon is the associate vice president for public safety and chief of police at OSU. He said having a dog on call for all university functions will allow public safety to cover more events more efficiently.
“A human can go in and search the area and make it safe, but you can't beat a dog's nose,” Yon said.
Tex is spending the rest of the summer training and getting familiar with campus. He will work at OSU sporting events and other large campus gatherings this upcoming school year.
Yon said he is excited to have this extra layer of safety for the campus community.
“It brings a lot of ease for me because I know my community is safe,” Yon said. “And our main function is safety on campus for students, staff and visitors that come here.”
