JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two agencies are working together locally to better protect Jacksonville travelers.
The Transportation Security Administration is partnering with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority to help with daily operations and in cases of emergency.
"Security never stops, safety never stops, and we are going to make sure we are diligent of coordinating resources that we have in this area to protect our passengers and protect our citizens," JTA Safety and Security Manager Colin Mulloy said.
Explosive-detecting K-9s have been working for the last year to become acclimated to Duval County transit areas. Now TSA will be using them in full force to assist other agencies like JTA.
"We not only work at the airport. We work with the Skyway, the JTA Skyway, JTA bus lines. We also cover Gainesville out to West Florida with our teams," said Donald Deason from the Jacksonville TSA Office K-9 section.
What looked like play time with a furry friend Thursday was actually a demonstration of a training exercise for K-9s that could save lives.
"They are trained on explosive odors," Deason said. "They are trained in venues of vehicles, luggage, cargo, basically your transportation environment."
While JTA has partnered with TSA before, Thursday marked the launch of an enhanced security program, where both organizations will be consistently working together.
"With TSA's risk-based security program system, we do random searches at all transportation venues," Deason said.
TSA officers won't be making a daily routine for their checks, but instead will show up at sites unexpectedly. And travelers will be seeing a lot more of the trained K-9s, like Bobby (pictured), sniffing around Jacksonville.
TSA is working as a supplement to other local agencies, so if there is a situation, like a suspicious bag, at any of the transportation locations, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and JTA will take the lead and TSA will assist.