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minnesotasmith
03-25-2005, 13:07
http://www.indystar.com/articles/6/231830-7186-103.html

Backpack raises concerns at bank
Robot fires blast of water at bag belonging to customer who had a dispute about a check.
http://www.indystar.com/images/clear.gif
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=210 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=10>http://www.indystar.com/images/clear.gif</TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>http://www.indystar.com/images/pics2/image-231830-1869.jpg</TD></TR><TR><TD>A remote-controlled robot rolls toward the Fifth Third Bank branch at 251 N. Illinois St. to check out a suspicious backpack in the lobby. -- Charlie Nye / The Star
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By Kevin O'Neal
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript><!--document.write(''+'kevin.oneal'+'@'+'indystar.com' +' ('+'mai'+'lto:'+'kevin.oneal'+'@'+'indystar.com'+' )');//--></SCRIPT>[email protected] ([email protected])
March 25, 2005


With a burst of high-pressure water, Omega the robot made sure a backpack in a Downtown bank was not a threat.

That blast from the robot's water cannon opened the backpack, showing it contained only clothes.

The pack belonged to a man upset by a dispute with the bank; police chose to treat the object as a threat, just in case.

"In today's world you can never be too careful," said Lt. Paul Ciesielski, Indianapolis Police Department spokesman.

The incident blocked two Downtown Indianapolis streets and closed an office building for 21/2 hours.

Kevin McDermott, 44, 100 block of East Ninth Street, was booked on a preliminary charge of terroristic mischief, a felony, and was being held Thursday at the Arrestee Processing Center. No bond was immediately set.

Police said McDermott had a dispute with Fifth Third Bank about a check and had previously complained at the bank branch at 251 N. Illinois St. in the Capital Center. McDermott returned to that branch just before noon Thursday, wandering around the bank and the Capital Center lobby.

After 11/2 hours, bank workers called police, who got to the bank around 1:15 p.m. Thursday. They found McDermott sitting in the bank lobby; his backpack was in a chair next to him.

McDermott was handcuffed and taken from the bank, while police called a bomb squad dog to check the backpack. When the dog sniffed the bag, the animal indicated something suspicious, police said.

That led police to call for the Marion County Emergency Management Agency, which sent Omega. The remote-controlled robot is designed to handle security and ordnance disposal. The Emergency Management Agency has a twin robot named Alpha.

"I was just pushing the buttons," said Steve Robertson, Omega's operator. "The whole purpose was that the human bomb technician doesn't have to be exposed."

Brought to the scene in a truck, Omega was directed inside the bank branch, where it X-rayed the pack. Those X-rays proved inconclusive, so the water cannon blasted open the backpack to reveal only clothes inside.

When all doubts about the backpack were removed, the office building was reopened. The first three floors of the Capital Center's north tower had been evacuated; workers on the remaining floors were told not to leave.

Outside, traffic was blocked on New York and Illinois streets until 4:15 p.m. Thursday.

chomp
03-25-2005, 14:40
hehe - the dog picked up on something suspicious. I wonder what that could have been...

minnesotasmith
03-25-2005, 14:47
"the dog picked up on something suspicious. I wonder what that could have been..."

Perhaps the guy was a hiker, and unknowingly recently put his pack down in a spot in a shelter where a pothead was the last to use it before him? Not impossible, from what I know of dog nose sensitivity.

Panzer1
03-25-2005, 15:24
Perhaps the guy was a hiker, and unknowingly recently put his pack down in a spot in a shelter where a pothead was the last to use it before him?
I would think that this dog was only trained to detect explosives, not drugs.
It was probably what they call a "bomb sniffing dog". Just guessing.

Panzer

chomp
03-25-2005, 15:37
I, for one, welcome our new Water-Cannon Robot Overlords!

chomp
03-25-2005, 15:39
Perhaps the guy was a hiker, and unknowingly recently put his pack down in a spot in a shelter where a pothead was the last to use it before him? Not impossible, from what I know of dog nose sensitivity.
Or, perhaps, this guy was a dirty, pot-smoking, draft-card-burning, granola-eating, long-hair-growing, hippie! He was just causing problems with The Man. The Man don't need this kind of hastle. Should have turned the water cannon on him, at least he would have gotten a shower.

bearbag hanger
03-25-2005, 16:13
hehe - the dog picked up on something suspicious. I wonder what that could have been...

If I were to take a guess, he probably had some matches, a lighter, some fuel for his stove or the stove itself. All those items could smell like a bomb to a dog.

Pot would not be something a "bomb" sniffing dog would respond to. I don't think, but am not sure, you can reliably train one dog to do both. Although it would seem easy to do, you wind up with mixed signals from the dog?

Dances with Mice
03-25-2005, 17:05
Pot would not be something a "bomb" sniffing dog would respond to. I don't think, but am not sure, you can reliably train one dog to do both. Although it would seem easy to do, you wind up with mixed signals from the dog?It's not at all easy to do. Drug dogs are trained to recognize a wide variety of drugs, bomb dogs to recognize a large number of explosives and accelerants. Each of those areas need constant training and reinforcement. There's not enough time to effectively train a dog on all drugs and all explosives -and- have enough time for the dog to actually work. Having a dog trained to find just some drugs and some explosives isn't a real good idea. When there's a serious situation, specialist snouts are brought in. Dogs trained as Patrol dogs may also have training in scent detection but it's not their primary MOS.

When I was in the service there was one pup that could pass the tests for finding contraband when his handler worked with him, but couldn't find anything hidden by another MP. The dog was keying on the scent of his handler rather than the training aids. He'd just go to where his handler had left something and alert on that area! He'd been accidentally trained to be a tracker.

There was also a study by the Army that found that Daschunds make great drug and explosive detection dogs - they can wiggle into areas that larger dogs can't reach. Problem was that the MPs didn't want to work with Daschunds, they wanted to handle the 'macho' canines like German Shepherds and Dobermans. So the Fighting Daschund Corps never materialized.

Needles
03-25-2005, 19:26
There was also a study by the Army that found that Daschunds make great drug and explosive detection dogs - they can wiggle into areas that larger dogs can't reach. Problem was that the MPs didn't want to work with Daschunds, they wanted to handle the 'macho' canines like German Shepherds and Dobermans. So the Fighting Daschund Corps never materialized.

That's a shame, I can tell you from being around a few daschunds that there is nothing more macho and threatening than a ticked off daschund! Sure, they can't reach much higher than your ankles, but you ever tried to run away after a daschund has done an ankleectomy on you?

Pencil Pusher
03-25-2005, 20:46
I, for one, welcome our new Water-Cannon Robot Overlords!Heh, heh. Now I'm trying to remember which movie this modified quote was from.;) Oh, no no no... hey, wasn't this from GTA Vice City, on the radio show?:D

RockyTrail
03-26-2005, 00:44
.....Problem was that the MPs didn't want to work with Daschunds, they wanted to handle the 'macho' canines like German Shepherds and Dobermans. So the Fighting Daschund Corps never materialized.I was passing through Gatwick Airport (London England) and noticed several tough looking, machine-gun toting security guards stationed at key areas. But I almost cracked up when I saw the cute little cocker spaniels on a leash next to them- maybe the plan is to stop terrorists by making them laugh! :)
But seriously, that dog is 1000 times better sniffer than any human would be.