Dogs may be the best line of defense against subway attacks

FILE - In this March 22, 2016 file photo, Metro-North Railroad police officers with a police dog patrol Grand Central Terminal, in New York. The best line of defense against a Brussels-style attack in the nation's largest subway system may be man's best friend. The NYPD this week graduated eight new dogs specifically for its elite counterterrorism unit. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) (The Associated Press)

prev next

FILE - In this Dec. 31, 2015 file photo, pedestrians submit to a search as they enter Times Square in New York where around 1 million people were expected to gather for the annual New Year's Eve celebration. Even in an era of high-tech crime-fighting, the best line of defense against a Brussels-style attack on airports and subways has four legs and a tail. Dogs, with their exquisitely sensitive noses, have been trained in recent years to pick up the scent of explosives on people moving through crowded concourses, and so far they have proved a better early warning system than anything engineers have come up with. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) (The Associated Press)

NEW YORK – Even in an era of high-tech crime-fighting, the best line of defense against a Brussels-style attack on airports and subways has four legs and a tail.

Dogs, with their exquisitely sensitive noses, have been trained in recent years to pick up the scent of explosives on people moving through crowded concourses,

And so far, they have proved a better early warning system than anything engineers have come up with.

Just this week, the New York City Police Department graduated of squad of these dogs.

But experts say there are not enough of these animals to go around. Only about 130 dogs have gotten the patented training nationwide since its development about a decade ago. And only one dog is in Europe, according to the chief trainer.

True Crime