Fort Collins Police Add New Member to Explosive Detection Team
Fort Collins Police Services has added a new member to their Explosive Detection Team. K9 Gunnar is 21-month-old black Labrador Retriever. He comes to FCPS from a nationally-recognized Auburn University K9 breeding and training program, instructed in cooperation with VWK9 in Anniston, Alabama.
Since 8 weeks of age, Gunnar has been progressing through intensive training focused on detecting body-worn or carried explosives within crowds of moving people. This patented system is known as Vapor Wake® detection. In addition to his ability to accurately screen dozens of passing people at a time, Gunnar can also screen static objects like a traditional explosives detection K9. He and his new FCPS handler recently completed a two-month training program and have started working in high-traffic pedestrian areas around Fort Collins.
Gunnar is a single-purpose K9, meaning he is not trained to search for drugs or apprehend suspects. He is very friendly but was trained to be socially neutral to both people and other animals in order to work most effectively. Onlookers will be asked to avoid petting or directly interacting with him when he is working.