GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- Three bomb-sniffing dogs will bolster security at Piedmont Triad International Airport by the fall, an airport official said Tuesday.
The announcement comes a month after a Guilford County teenager was arrested on charges of making bomb threats to the airport and other locations in the Triad. No explosive devices were found on airport property.
The dog crews will be provided through an agreement with the Transportation Security Administration, the federal agency that oversees airport security.
Airport officials had looked at securing bomb-sniffing dog teams for more than a year, but the recent threats spurred them to finalize an agreement with the federal government, executive director Ted Johnson said.
The program will cost between $100,000 and $125,000 annually, but the Transportation Security Administration will pay for the dog teams, Johnson said.
The teams would be available for use by law enforcement personnel in communities around PTIA, Johnson said, though the priority would be for them to patrol the airport grounds.
