Atf Developing Plan To Put Bomb-Sniffing Dogs At Airports

The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms is developing a plan to train and provide bomb-sniffing dogs for up to 50 of the nation’s largest airports, in a proposed new step toward tightening security for air travelers in the wake of last month’s suspicious crash of Trans World Airlines Flight 800.

The Labrador retrievers, with highly sensitive and well-educated noses, could offer a cheap method of increasing protection against bombs while the government considers a long-term plan to require installation of high-tech explosives detection devices.

Under the proposal, the dogs could make regular patrols in passenger terminals, or might be stationed out of public view and sniff luggage before it is loaded on planes, officials said.