September 19, 2001
Military Dogs Pick Up On Residue From Toy Rockets
The Associated Press
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE — Military bomb experts blew open a box of toys Wednesday after explosive-sniffing dogs alerted their handlers to a package inside a UPS truck trying to enter this Air Force base in Albuquerque.
The two dogs had picked up on minute amounts of residue from toy rockets, a base spokesman said.
"The dogs are very sensitive," said Lt. Kelley Jeter, chief of media relations for the 377th Air Base Wing. "You're not getting anything by these guys."
Military police cordoned off the truck shortly after 10 a.m. MDT and brought in an explosives ordnance team, which blew open the box about an hour later, scattering toys everywhere, Jeter said. The box contained rubber balls, dolls and "general toys," she said.
The man who packed the toys — mailed from New York — had handled toy rockets just beforehand, she said.
"This is why we have these extra security measures," Jeter said. "If this had been an actual threatening package, this would have saved lives. It may be inconvenient for people, but we're doing it for their own safety."
After a dog at one of Kirtland's gates pointed to the truck, military handlers brought in a second dog to make sure, Jeter said. The second dog also alerted its handler to the box.
"That's when they decided to clear out the area" and bring in the explosives ordnance team, she said.
The team used a "disrupter" — a piece of classified high-technology equipment designed to render explosives useless, Jeter said.
As a precaution, Albuquerque police also closed the major street in front of the gate for 1,000 feet in both directions. The gate and street reopened once officials determined the box was harmless.
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