SPEEDWAY, Ind. — We are less than three months away from the Indianapolis 500 and, before you know it, tens of thousands of fans will pack the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Local, state and federal authorities are making sure everyone stays safe.
On Wednesday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Columbus Field Division hosted a training for explosives detection K-9 teams from throughout the region.
That's where 13News met 4-year-old K-9 Hilton, a Labrador retriever.
"She graduated in June of 2021, and we've been working every day together since," said David McMullen, a special agent K-9 handler with the ATF.
Hilton works to sniff out danger.
"I train with her every single day," McMullen said. "We're looking for, like, if there's any big explosive that's hidden in a vehicle or nearby at a big event like at a stadium, at the Indianapolis 500 or a big sporting event, we want to use the dogs to search, and they can do that pretty quickly."
Hilton worked to sniff out explosives in coolers and backpacks strategically positioned in the stands. She also worked to sniff out explosives hidden in a vehicle.
Once she makes her discovery, she sits.
"It's a lot quicker and more efficient for us to just run the dog down. We can do that pretty quickly and pretty easily versus having bomb techs, machines, scanners. It's a good extra measure we take to try and keep the public safe," McMullen said.
Trainings are based on real world events.
"We have scenarios set up that are very similar to what happened at the Boston Marathon bombing, very similar to what happened to the car bomb explosion in Nashville a couple years ago," said John Nokes, assistant special agent in charge with the ATF Columbus Field Office.
Nokes said about 40 K-9 teams from around the state participated in the training, many of which will help support the Indy 500 weekend.
"We will make up about 10% of the overall federal response, which is about 300 personnel," Nokes said.
Last year, federal agents and K-9 units searched about 4,500 vehicles that entered IMS.
Hilton can help find things even the human eye can miss, like shell casings.
"I can have her smell the grass, and she can smell where I can't see and find it that way," McMullen said.
"A lot of times on these shootings, that one shell casing makes a difference in solving that crime and prosecuting the people who are responsible. These dogs are invaluable to that, so not only are they good for big events, but we're using them every single day in these communities," Nokes said.
Federal agents are working to keep communities safe by having K-9s like Hilton, using her gift to protect others.