PR04-011

Date:

May 26, 2004

 
Fulton Sheriff’s First Bomb-Detection K-9 Reports for Duty
 

Fulton Sheriff Jackie Barrett is proud to introduce the newest member of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. After sixteen (16) weeks of extensive bomb detection training, “Mokey” an eighteen (18) month old Labrador Retriever has become the department’s first bomb-sniffing K-9.

Mokey, along with his handler Sergeant Kirk Markham, graduated from the federal ATF Explosives K-9 Detection Training Center in Front Royal, Virginia on April 21, 2004.

Sergeant Markham, who attended the specialized program, was introduced to Mokey during his second day of training. Pryor to that, his K-9 companion had already received six-weeks of bomb detecting instruction. Working together, both Sergeant Markham, and Mokey, graduated after completing four hundred (400) hours of bomb detection training.

Sergeant Markham attended the training course along with four American and six Egyptian police officers; all of whom are part of the ATF National Response Team. In addition to responding to public services needs in Fulton, Sergeant Markham and his partner are on-call to assist local law enforcement, as well as other jurisdiction throughout the U.S. on a twenty-four hour basis.

Through his training Mokey can alert on twenty (20) different explosive odors, and is trained to search aircrafts, passenger buses, schools, warehouses, and sports arenas. Both Sergeant Markham and his K-9 partner train seven days a week, and must undergo recertification once a year in Virginia.

Sergeant Markham and Mokey have become a valuable resource to the Sheriff’s Office Bomb Unit, which was established in 1995. The unit is staffed by highly trained deputies who are “bomb technician” certified by the FBI. The unit is available for emergency response twenty-four hours a day.

Sergeant Markham and Mokey will be on-duty during the G-8 summit in Savannah in early June.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office will formally introduce “Mokey” to members of the news media on Thursday, May 27, 2004 at the Fulton County Courthouse, 185 Central Avenue, S.W., 9th floor. The media event is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. During Thursday’s event, Sergeant Markham will provide a demonstration of Mokey’s Bomb detection training.

For more information, please contact Lieutenant Clarence Huber at (404) 730-4148. Lieutenant Huber can also be reached on his digital pager at (404) 742-6798.