The dog is named Brody.
Ohio University students and faculty will soon see not one, but two bomb-sniffing dogs on campus as state officials expand a program that increases safety for state funded schools.
Brody, a male Belgian Malinois, will soon be deployed as OU Police Department’s latest bomb-sniffing dog. The first bomb-sniffing dog to join OUPD’s task force is Alex, a labrador-retriever mix, who joined the force just this fall.
University of Toledo, Kent State University, Central State University and Cleveland State University will also be receiving a bomb-sniffing dog, Ohio Homeland Security spokesman Dustyn Fox told The Post via email.
Fox said the bomb-sniffing dog program is part of Gov. John Kasich’s initiative to increase school safety, which began earlier this year. Fox did not know the Brody’s exact age, but he said the typical age of the dogs that have been presented through the program are between 16 to 24 months old.
“Ohio University would have two bomb-detection canines on campus but can be dispatched around the area, not just to Athens but other counties as requested by their law enforcement,” he said. “It is an asset for the community and the surrounding area.”
Fox said OU will be the eighth university to receive an explosive-detection canine through the program.
Alex was recently dispatched to Washington Court House High School at Fayette County to investigate a bomb threat, highlighting an example OUPD’s bomb detection service outside the campus, he said.
Federal grant money and some Ohio Homeland Security budget funds was given to cover the costs of the dog and its operating costs. Fox said the sum of purchasing, training and equipping the bomb-sniffing dog totals under $13,000.
The funding provided for Alex was given through a $28,000 federal grant, according to a previous The Post article.
OUPD, in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Public Safety and Ohio University Ohio Homeland Security, will be holding an event on Monday at 1 p.m. formally accepting Brody.
Prominent officials who will be present at the event include John Born, director of Ohio Department of Public Safety; Fred Goldstein, the Operations Director of Ohio’s Homeland Security; and OU President Roderick J. McDavis.
OU Police Chief Andrew Powers and Brody’s handler, Officer Adam Hoffman, will also be present at the event, which will be held at OU’s Human Resources and Training Center.
Lt. Tim Ryan, OUPD’s public information officer, could not provide any comments as of press time.
A Belgian Malinois resembles and is sometimes mistaken for a German Shepherd dog. The U.S. Secret Service is one of the agencies that uses Belgian Malinois dogs to guard the White House, according to an article written by The New York Times.
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