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Council votes to add bomb-sniffing dog
By Jana Seshadri
In order to expand and enhance the Sunnyvale Public Safety Department's services, the Sunnyvale City Council, on Chief Ernie Bakin's request, voted unanimously to authorize asset forfeiture funds in order to acquire an explosive-sniffing dog for the department.
According to Grace Kim from the Sunnyvale Finance Department, asset forfeiture funds could be either state or federal money that the city has put in for its public safety use only. This money, which can be used only as a one-time deal, was made primarily through the sale of assets seized from individuals in the city involved in narcotic activity, Kim said.
Bakin recounted that even before the Sept. 11 attacks, the department used to handle about 40 bomb threats in the city during the year. After the terrorist attacks and during the anthrax scare, calls of suspicious packages and boxes peaked at 17 a day, he said.
"The concern is that as and when the community is sensitized to such threats, we want to be appropriately equipped to respond to these calls," Bakin said.
Bakin said the department tries its best to respond to every single call and resolve it as quickly as possible. However, threats at huge department stores, malls or companies mean that public safety teams have to walk through the buildings with the security officers of those facilities and conduct a close and thorough examination of the premises. The time factor can start a domino effect leading to subsequent delayed responses, he said, whereas a bomb-sniffing dog could do the search much faster.
"Sometimes people are afraid to walk through buildings if there's a bomb threat," Sunnyvale resident Irisann Nelson said. "This happened in the company I worked in and the police could not do much, whereas a dog would have got the job done very, very quickly."
According to Bakin, the dog and its vehicle would cost approximately $100,000. The dog alone would cost $15,000, which would include a month's training, he said. The vehicle would have to be retrofitted to carry a canine, and the officer should be able to open the door with a remote, so that the dog can be let out through the back, he said.
Council members had questions regarding the canine's operating expenses, even if the initial purchasing money could be taken from the asset forfeiture funds. Council members discussed cost- sharing opportunities with neighboring cities. According to Bakin, the city of San Jose has three dogs, used almost completely at the airport, who are not always available for use by neighboring cities. A dog in Sunnyvale could be of assistance to cities such as Cupertino, Santa Clara and Mountain View, for a fee, he said. A grant from Homeland Security is also a possibility for additional funding, he said.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
