ELECTION 2022: Capt. Hall and Todd Fleenor starred in ‘Benefit or Boondoggle’ on ABC7 expose on K-9 bomb training for air travel while St. Mary’s airport has never had one single paying passenger in 35 years

THE GREAT K-9 VACATION OF 2016
St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office K9 Officers Participate in ‘Prestigious’ Airport Explosive Detection Training in Canada – even though Border Patrol offers K-9 training in Virginia

LEONARDTOWN, MD. – St. Mary’s Sheriff Tim Cameron will go to any length to provide protection for the citizens of St. Mary’s County, even if the county doesn’t have any passenger flights. If ever, any flights start up at the county airport, which has never seen a scheduled flight in twenty years, Sheriff Cameron has his plane and passenger sniffing dogs at the ready.

Even though St. Mary’s doesn’t have an operating airport:
“With their canine explosive-detection partners, “Filly” and “Jasmine”, they practiced scanning for suspected explosive devices in the airport terminals, passenger airlines, passenger baggage systems, and surrounding grounds of the Montreal International Airport”.

 St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Canine (K9) Officers Cpl. Todd Fleenor and Cpl. Shawn Cathcart traveled to Montreal, Canada, during the week of May 15-19, 2016, to participate in canine officer training exercises.

“The timing of this training could not have been more fitting,” said Captain Steven Hall, Commander, Special Operations Division. “Based on recent world events, the experience our K9 officers obtained while training in an airport environment will prove to be invaluable. I am proud of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit, their dedication to duty, and the reputation of excellence they have earned both nationally and internationally.”

Along with Sheriff Tim Cameron and Captain Steven Hall, Fleenor extended his thanks and gratitude to the members of the Montreal Canadian Airport Canine Unit for their hospitality, especially Head Trainer Yanick Choquette. “This was the experience of a lifetime for Corporal Cathcart and me,” Fleenor stated. “The knowledge and expertise we gained in Canada will be applied daily while performing our K9 duties.” He added, “Thank you to the Montreal Canada Canine Unit for the invitation to participate in this valuable training and for our continued partnership. Also, thank you to Sheriff Tim Cameron for your continued support of the K9 Unit.”