Breakout Session 4 B: Explosives and Contraband Detection

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) maintains one of the largest canine programs with more than 1,500 canine teams deployed at and between the Nation’s ports of entry that are trained to detect concealed humans, narcotics, firearms, currency, as well as prohibited agriculture items and human remains. Canine training aids play an important role in the initial certification and the continuous proficiency testing of canines deployed for field operations. The CBP Laboratories and Scientific Services (LSS) is the agency’s scientific and technical arm that tests and produces the materials used for narcotics training aids, and advises CBP stakeholders on training aid development. Over the last 2 years, LSS has made great strides to advance the testing capabilities and quality of canine training aids, and CBP is well-positioned to evaluate the performance of training aids to strengthen canine detection capabilities. This presentation will provide an overview of CBP’s canine detection programs and discuss opportunities for forensic laboratories to collaborate with canine detection teams to advance the implementation of evidence-based practices.