TSA approves first cargo sniffer dog provider

OPELIKA, Alabama – Recent changes to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) security standards remove the distinction between passenger and cargo operations. This shifts the screening requirement to all cargo transported via commercial air transportation.

The commercial aviation and air cargo industry continue to face the threat of explosive attacks by rogue individuals and extremist groups. Couple this with the rapid growth of e-commerce the challenge of screening every package becomes exponentially harder.

As a result, U.S. Homeland Security and the TSA have established the Third-Party Canine Screening or 3PK9 program to create and monitor Certified Cargo Screening Facility – K9 (CCSF-K9). Under this program, private sector canine companies will be able to provide TSA certified cargo screening canine teams to assist in meeting these new requirements.

On November 27, 2018, the TSA opened the application period for companies to submit their application to become a CCSF-K9 provider. Global K9 Protection Group (GK9PG) received notification on Dec. 7 that its Operational Implementation Plan (OIP) met all of the program requirements. With this Letter of Approval, the company’s CCSF-K9 Teams that have successfully completed the required Third-Party Certification will begin operations for GK9PG’s established clients immediately.