TSA honors 9/11 victims through its K9 bomb program

PHOENIX - The Transportation Security Administration is honoring September 11 victims in a big way.

While they have  always had a K9 bomb team to help with security, they’ve increased the number of dogs they have after the 9/11 attacks.

They are breeding their own bomb detection dogs at the Lackland Airforce Base. The Administration has about 1,000 dogs patrolling airports across the country.

“What's great is that they are extremely accurate and they are mobile,” said Niko Melendez of the TSA.

What makes these dogs so special is that each one is named after someone who perished in the September 11th attacks. 

Sky Harbor Airport has eight dogs that patrol the airport. The newest member is Buck. He’s named after Greg Buck, a firefighter that was with Engine Company 201. He was killed in the south tour on 9/11.

“It motivates me to come to work, because Buck is a reminder that we are here to serve a purpose,” said Michael Buz.

“I think the further we get from 9/11, people forget how important security is. Because on 9/12, we all wished there was a system in place that would have prevented those attacks.  And naming our dogs after those victims is a way to remind people how important it is to protect the U.S. from another attack,” said Melendez.

TSA's relationship with local law enforcement allows it to have a large K9 bomb detection program.