Agricultural Detector Canines – History and DemonstrationMelissa CreganFresno County Deputy Commissioner/SealerNovember 6, 2014
Barry the St. Bernard1800-1812Worked as a rescue dog in the Swiss Alps rescuing over 40 people
History of Detector Dogs at the Federal level• USDA-APHIS• 1984 “Beagle Brigade” • 1997 “Border Brigade” • 2001 “Cargo Brigade”
• U.S. Customs & Border Protection• 2003 transfer of 75 teams from APHIS to CBP• Currently more than 110 CBP agriculture canine teams • Provide screening at border crossings, preclearance
locations, air passenger terminals, cruise terminals, cargo warehouses, and mail facilities that process international passengers and commodities.
CDFA Dog Team History
Agricultural Parcel Inspection Program• Started in 1996 as a two year pilot program and was
extended 3 more years, ending in 2000.• 1996 there were 4 original teams working at the United
States Postal Service distribution center in City of Industry
• 2000 the program had expanded to 11 CDFA teams worked in San Francisco, Los Angeles Basin, and San Diego.
• Teams consisted of an agricultural biologist, an agricultural technician, and a trained dog.
• During the 5 year program there were 6,386 interceptions of unmarked packages containing plant material, yielding 1,075 pest interceptions.
California Dog Team History• Cooperative effort between the USDA, CDFA, and CACASA• Pest Surveillance Canine Inspection Teams
• December 2006-2008• Contra Costa (2 Teams*) & San Bernardino
• California Dog Teams• January 2009 • Fresno, Sacramento, & San Diego
• January 2010• Los Angeles (2 teams), San Diego (2nd team), & Santa Clara
• January 2011• Alameda, San Bernardino (2nd team) & San Joaquin
• FY 2014/15 agreement provides funding for 13 teams, however 3 teams are not currently operating but will be replaced in June 2015
*Funding provided for 1 team in Contra Costa, however the County made up the funding difference until both teams were funded in FY 08/09
January 2009“Chelsea” & Stephanie LeBarron
Funded Pathways• Teams work regionally to conduct surveillance
inspections at:• Private Parcel Carriers• UPS• FedEx Air & Home Delivery (Not FedEx Ground)• OnTrac
• Air Freight Terminals• United States Post Office• First Class Mail requires either a Federal Warrant or
consent in order to open and inspect a package. • Passenger luggage cannot be inspected under the
California Dog Team Program’s cooperative agreement.
FY 2013/14 Pest Find DistributionPest Interception Totals per
Facility TypeUSPS: Consent Obtained to
Inspect Packages for FY 13/14
Pest Interception Totals per Facility0
50
100
150
200
250
210
95
104
USPSFedExUPSOther
USPS0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
1607
601
Packages Alerted by CanineConsent to Open Received
Fiscal Year Comparisons
Total Parcel Alerts Actionable Pest Finds
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
56,753
50,294
41,002
37,977
33,162
FY 09/10FY 10/11FY 11/12FY 12/13FY 13/14
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
53 57
124132
319
FY 09/10FY 10/11FY 11/12FY 12/13FY 13/14
Fiscal Year Comparisons Continued
Total Unmarked Parcel Alerts
Violations of Plant Quarantine Laws & Regulations
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
1,560
2,0161,948
1,177
1,581 FY 09/10FY 10/11FY 11/12FY 12/13FY 13/14
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
2,270
1,981
2,925
3,481
2,107
FY 09/10FY 10/11FY 11/12FY 12/13FY 13/14
1999-Present
Fresno County Dog Team
February 1999“Megan” & Stephanie LeBarron“Moss” & Lynell Lane
2006“Bella” & Stephanie LeBarron (2006-2008)“Bella” & Jo Harper (2008-2013)
May 2014“Luna” & Patricia Henke
Moving conveyor belts
Delivery trucks
Pallets Stacked boxes
Intercepted plant materialFlower shipments
from HI Wood cuttings
Cow-Horn Fruit
Questions?• Live Demonstration with Luna and Patti