Grant approved for canine trained in explosives detection in Village of Goshen

For purchase of a canine trained in explosives detection, the Village of Goshen Police Department has been awarded $50,000 in federal funding through the Explosive Detection Canine Team Grant Program.

“An explosives detection canine is a great tool for law enforcement,” said Village Police Chief James Watt.

The need for this type of trained canine is real, he said. Previously the department had procured an explosives detection canine, named Mel, who died young in 2021. He was obtained through the same grant available now.

“We’ve had a little vacancy here, but we’re looking to get that capability back again,” said Watt. Especially, he noted, in light of recent bomb and shooting threats at Goshen schools. He said that most use of a canine trained in explosives is precautionary, like clearing buildings before and during large gatherings of people to make sure there are no explosives or firearms in the building.

Explosives range from simple gunpowder to TNT to military grade C4, which is basically used for formal bomb making, as well as for mines. An explosives canine is trained to detect all types of explosives.

“We also use a canine to detect suspicious packages at events like the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, track missing and lost people and items, find discarded evidence and things of that nature,” said Watt.

“We’re glad to be getting another team back together. It’s convenient to have one readily available. The team is only a phone call away at any time. When we plan for larger events, we build the detection time right into operational plans,” he said.

Currently, the department has to call the County or other communities if an explosive detection dog is needed, which takes additional time.

Before his retirement from the force, Sgt. John Manna applied in 2020 for the grant from Homeland Security and Emergency Services, which is federally funded and administered by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Village Police were notified of the grant approval on October 26, 2022.

Since the training academy begins in March 2023, the village will look to procure a dog in January or February. Ideally the dog will be between two and 12 months old; training typically begins between ages six to 12 months.

Canine Officer Jeremy Harter is currently researching breeders and dogs. Since explosive detection dogs aren’t trained for aggression, likely a Labrador retriever type of dog will be selected. Officer Harter has been with the department since Sept. 2019; before that he was a New York State corrections officer.

Obedience training for the dog, accompanied by Officer Harter, will begin in March, with explosives training starting in the fall of 2023.

“We’ve had a little bit of a lull with COVID, but things are picking up now—we like to be proactive and as safe as possible when we have community events and large congregations of people. We look forward to getting the dog here and getting the team in service. We really miss having that capability available to us. This came at a great time for us,” said Watt.