World Cup working dogs sniff out threats, send security signal

INGLEWOOD, California, July 18 : Kali, a sweet and well-behaved five-year-old Labrador Retriever, is not scaring anybody. She also is not letting anyone sneak into the Los Angeles Stadium with explosives, fireworks, firearms or other sniffable threats at the World Cup.

Stationed near one of the stadium entrances, Kali was among hundreds of police and security dogs marshaled across North America to provide a first line of defence against the ill-intended in a tournament fraught with geopolitical tensions.

Not only were co-hosts the United States at war with Iran, whose team played their group stage matches in the U.S., but the Trump administration had strained relations with numerous other nations involved in the sprawling soccer event.

These were all situations presenting potential risks to organisers, as were inter-country tensions between teams playing each other. In Mexico, a raid by government forces against a cartel sparked violence a few months before the kick off. 

POLITICAL PROTESTS

In Los Angeles, large political protests occurred during Iran's matches in the stadium.

"There's a different threat level when that's happening," said Glen Kucera, President of Allied Universal Enhanced Protection Services, the biggest provider of private canine security services in the U.S.

About 300 of his firm's 1,000 dog teams have been employed in World Cup security, he said. 

The scale of the World Cup co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico has presented challenges for security organisers.

Not only have there been matches at stadiums in 16 cities in the three countries, but security has been needed for training grounds, hotels and transportation routes. Some matches, like the Iran games in L.A., have been accompanied by protests. 

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