CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With the Fourth of July holiday days away, Charlotte-Douglas airport is focused on security for the crowds it will see over the weekend.
The airport unveiled Tuesday a new security feature. A highly-trained K-9 unit will be sniffing out explosives this weeks.
Airport officials said the new tool could not have come at a better time. Officials said the K-9 unit is helping fight the war on terror.
“The job is just follow and observe her, and what she is telling me through her body actions,” Transportation Security Administration K-9 handler Lisa Washington said.
Six-year-old Fable and her handler came from Richmond, Virginia. She’s the TSA’s first K-9 passenger screening team at Charlotte-Douglas on the job since April.
It could be a busy week for them leading up to the holiday.
“A reminder (to travelers): Fireworks of any sort are prohibited in carry on or checked baggage,” TSA security director Kevin Frederick said.
Fable is helping to speed up lines at the security checkpoints which the TSA says are down considerably from Spring Break when flights were canceled.
“It speeds things up by allowing people to go through expedited screening,” Frederick said. “The dogs make sure there are no explosives on those people.”
Those who get the sniff treatment from Fable don’t have to take off their shoes or belt or take their laptop out of its bag.
Fable could be getting some company soon.
The TSA wants to bring in several more dog teams in the near future.
Fable was born at the University of Auburn Training Center, part of a litter of nine pups. Every one of them is doing explosive detection work.
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