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Description
The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office held a media event August 27th at the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, located at 202 Haywood Street in Asheville. The purpose of the event was to introduce our newest canine Sampson, who has been trained in Person-Borne weapons and explosive detection, and allow him to demonstrate his abilities. Sampson is the first canine trained in person-borne weapon detection in the entire country, and will be the first canine trained in this manner used in a school setting. When deployed, Sampson scans the air around persons, stationary or moving and will indicate with a positive alert by trailing a moving person or by sitting at the source of odor. Sampson has been trained to detect burnt powder, fresh powder and cleaning agents when looking for weapons. Sampson’s primary function at the schools he visits will be to deter and or detect any person who is illegally in possession of a weapon or explosive device. He is for the safety and well-being of each and every person in the building. He will scan during school hours as well as be utilized at sporting events and other large functions. The overall goal of Sampson’s presence is to support our school resource officers as they keep our schools safe.
A
Basically,
last
year
we
had
an
event
at
a
buncombe
county
school
where
we
had
a
discharge
of
a
weapon
outside
of
a
sporting
event,
and
that
got
a
lot
of
us
thinking
along
with
Tony
Baldwin
and
the
school
administration,
about
how
we
can
make
those
sporting
events
and
and
those
things
safer,
both
when
adults
and
our
kids
attend.
So
what
this
dog
does
is.
It
goes
through
the
crowd
with
the
handler,
and
this
is
officer
Ben
Davidson,
deputy
Ben
Davidson's,
with
our
school
resource
officer
program.
A
He
will
be
handling
the
dog
through
the
course
of
its
career.
Here
the
dog
will
go
through
the
crowd
and
the
dog
is
specifically
trained
to
lock
on
the
scent
of
a
firearm,
and
it
will
go
up
and
alert
the
handler
and
set
by
that
person.
Now
you
may
question
as
to
why
we're
putting
this
out
there,
because
we
want
this
to
serve
also
as
an
effective
way
to
detect
and
make
those
events
safer,
but
we
also
want
it
to
work
as
a
deterrent.
A
So
people
know
that
we
have
a
k-9
unit
that
will
be
working:
the
crowds
at
county
football
games,
sporting
events
and
also
in
the
schools.
So
people
will
know
that
if
they
bring
the
firearm
on
the
school
property
that
there's
a
good
chance
that
we
will
know
about
that
and
we'll
be
able
to
detect
them
and
just
once
again,
if
someone
were
to
bring
a
firearm
onto
school
property,
that
is
a
class
I
felony
and
a
very
serious
offense.
B
Briefly,
the
I
was
through
a
four-week
handlers
course
down
it,
k,
2
solutions,
doing
person,
board
detection,
it's
learning
how
to
observe
the
dog
watch.
The
dog
this
dog,
that
I
got
was
trained
prior
to
me
getting
there.
So
there
was
no
there's
no
learning
curve
for
him.
It
was
all
learning
for
me,
went
through
four
and
a
half
weeks.
B
They're
brought
the
dog
back
up
here,
put
him
in
the
schools
just
to
some
I
clamation
and
from
here,
like
the
sheriff
mentioned,
we're
going
to
go
forward
with
sporting
events,
large
events
that
the
county
hosts
or
and
deploy
in
the
schools.
The
dog
is
non-invasive,
it's
a
good
tool
because
people
can
be
scanned
and
they
don't
really
realize
that
they're
being
scanned,
the
dog
doesn't
search
a
person,
it
searches,
the
air,
that's
behind
the
person
or
around
the
person,
and
it's
it's
extremely
non-invasive,
so
I
think
it's
going
to
be
a
plus.
B
For
us,
it's
going
to
be
a
plus,
for
you
know
the
ballgames
we're
going
to
have
assets
where
deputies
that
were
having
to
one
prior
two
games
for
two
hours,
they're
going
to
be
in
the
stands.
Rather
than
being
outside
of
the
gate,
so
that
gives
us
more
eyes
inside
and
you
know,
as
a
sheriff
mentioned
too
we're
going
to
have
that
capability
deterrence
was
primary
with
the
winding.
Now
we
have
the
deterrence
and
the
detection.
So
then
what
might
have
been
somebody's
assumption
that
I'm
not
going
to
get
caught
now?
A
Just
to
give
them
a
heads
up
on
those
probably
going
to
be
some
questions
about
the
cost
of
the
dog,
the
animal
itself
was
donated
by
an
anonymous
benefactor
that
wants
to
remain
that
way.
The
training
that
the
dog
is
going
to
be
someone
and
they
about
ten
thousand
dollars,
and
we
will
use
imagine
Cesar,
forfeiture
money
to
take
care
of
most
of
that
training
for
that
down
to
keep
it
up
in
crime.
You
guys
got
any
questions.
Oh.
B
We
want
to
be
as
proactive
with
it
with
this
dog
is
possible.
We
do
not
want
there
to
be
any
confusion
as
to
what
these
dogs
capabilities
are.
It
is
a
weapons,
detection
and
explosive
person
born
explosive
detection.
It
also
does
traditional
explosive
detection,
where,
if
you
had
a
suspicious
package
or
report
of
a
bomb
threat,
the
dog
can
work
that
event
as
well.
B
But
we
don't
want
this
to
be
a
secret,
because
if
you
make
it
a
secret,
then
people
just
make
assumptions
and
when
you
make
assumptions
you
know
with
this
being
a
detection
dog.
This
is
for
the
safety
of
the
kids.
The
staff
in
the
schools
for
visitors
of
the
schools
and,
like
I,
said
ball,
games
and
stuff
like
that,
and
we
don't
want
there
to
be
any
question
as
to
what
we're
doing,
but
because
yeah,
if
they're
questioning
they
might
bring
a
gun
accidentally.
B
You
know
we
have
a
lot
concealed,
carry
people
who
we're
going
one
hundred
percent
of
the
time
and
I'm
sure
that
sometimes
they
forget
to
take
it
off.
So
we
don't
want
a
case
where
a
good
person
gets
in
trouble
for
a
bad
decision,
but
yeah,
let's
make
this
known
and
have
this
asset,
you
have
a
picture
for
what
people
should
expect,
looks.
A
B
This
dog
is
solely
solely
explosive
detection.
Passive
alert,
there's
no
bite.
This
dog
has
never
been
trained
to
bite.
The
only
thing
he
bites
or
flies
the
other
another
benefit
that
we're
going
to
have
is
discarded
weapons.
If
we
have,
if
we
have
an
incident
where
we
have
a
weapon,
that's
discarded,
you
know
if
we
have
a
shooting
or
if
we
have
reason
to
believe
that
a
weapon
you,
the
commission
of
crimes
laying
somewhere.
B
You
know
this
dogs
capability
is
to
go
out
and
find
that
you
know
perfect
example,
as
we
had
a,
we
had
a
gun
that
we
were
using
and
trying
to
not
been
fired
in
over
a
year
not
been
cleaning
over
a
year
put
it
under
a
log
in
a
half
acre
size
field.
The
dog
found
the
gun
in
less
than
45
seconds
by
himself
off
leash,
completely
off
leash.
C
A
The
great
thing
about
having
a
dog
it's
dedicated
for
that
use.
When
you
take
a
patrol
dog
one
of
our
Mountain
wants
they.
They
have
to
cross
train
in
a
lot
of
different
disciplines
which
they're
still
effective,
but
they're
they're,
not
as
dialed
in
as
this
particular
dog
will
be
because
he's
his
sole
purpose
is
to
detect
a
firearm
or
explosives
and.
B
He
won't
pick
it
up
is
where
a
dog,
the
dog,
that's
trained
in
in
article
searches,
they're
trying
to
bring
it
back
because
it
may
be
a
place.
The
handler
can't
get
to
this
dog
will
lay
down
or
sit
beside
the
odor
until
I
come
find
him
or
he's
called
off
of
it.
So
there's
no.
It
helps
with
that
evidence.
Preservation
as
well.
C
B
Just
had
this
week,
I
had
to
train
her
up
here.
He
wanted
to
finish
it
by
last
three
days
up
here.
Just
I
can
make
the
dog
with
the
school
and
get
me
a
committed
with
trying
to
work
the
dog
in
the
school.
So
we've
not
worked
an
event.
We
have
deployed
the
dog
in
a
training
scenario.
Matter
of
fact.
Yesterday
we
did
a
training
scenario
in
the
halls
that
Reynolds
high
school,
and
so
that's
been
it's
on
the
deployment
in
the
school
setting.
So
for.
A
B
C
B
Have
the
dog
in
the
stands
I'll
be
outside
of
the
stadium,
where
the
line
forms
that's
where
the
most
effective
and
we
don't?
The
purpose
of
that
is
we
want
to
detect
prior
to
you
will
try
to
be
proactive
and
and
eliminate
that
threat
if
there
is
one
prior
to
people
coming
into
the
coming
to
the
facility
sergeant.
B
Yeah,
it's
an
interesting
reaction
of
kids
because
some
kids
were
terrified
of
dogs.
Some
kids
love
dogs
hear
it.
Fortunately
he's
not
a
petting
dog
and
the
kids
have
hard
time
keeping
their
fingers
out
the
dog's
nose.
The
overall
reception
was
great,
you
know,
and
in
the
past,
when
they've
done.
This
is
a
pilot
program.
Two
or
three
days
of
working,
the
dog
in
the
school's
the
kids
get
used
to
it.
They
don't
pay
it
any
attention,
but
yesterday
yesterday,
I
was
actually
pleased
with
how
my
kids
were
able
to
you
act.
B
He's
got
a
harness
that
he
wears
when
he's
working
and
it's
got.
What
I
will
have
probably
in
the
next
day,
is
to
velcro
stickers
on
his
shoulders
and
say
do
not
pet
and
the
reason
for
that
is
we
don't
want
distraction
from
him
working
if
he
gets
an
odor
and
somebody
reaches
down
and
starts
to
pet
him.
You
know
that's
going
to
inhibit
his
ability
to
stay
with.
You
know
what
it
is
that
he
smelled
or
what
it
is
he
detected.
So
we
don't.
We
don't
want
any
hand,
interference.