FORT KNOX, Ky. — Fort Knox military police officers received a call on Feb. 22 from the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office. They had received a bomb threat at the BlueOval SK battery park in Glendale, Kentucky, and needed an explosive detection dog team on the scene as soon as possible.
The mission fell to Spc. Enrique Rivera of 905th Military Police Detachment and his working dog, Ressler.
“We had just finished training for the day when we got the call,” said Rivera. “We remained on stand-by until the approval came through.”
Commander of 34th Military Police and 905th Military Working Dog Detachments Capt. Kyle Hinzman said requests from local law enforcement agencies can be authorized under certain circumstances.
“There’s an ability in Army and DOD regulations that senior commanders can authorize defense support to civil authorities,” said Hinzman, “so we routed that up, [U.S. Army Recruiting Command and Fort Knox Commander] Maj. Gen. [Johnny] Davis blessed off on it, and we were able to send that dog team out.”
Rivera and Ressler linked up with three other dog teams on the scene: one each from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Transportation Security Administration and Louisville Metro Police Department. The plan was for each team to take a quadrant of the facility, guided by an employee who knew the layout and could identify anything out of the ordinary.
The battery park plant is roughly a 4 million-square-foot building where 3,000-4,000 employees work.
“It’s a massive facility; massive!” said Hinzman. “The search went on for about four or five hours.”
Rivera said there were considerations he had to make throughout the search.
“It was definitely a long mission. I was wearing full gear and there was some air conditioning on but not everywhere,” said Rivera. “I had to give the dog breaks here and there; he was tired at some points. I know his breaking point, so him and I were pushing each other to keep going through the building and doing our best to search the building.”
Hinzman said Rivera and Ressler’s dedication is a reflection of how all the teams operate at the kennel.
“These Soldiers do so much; they work so hard to train their dogs to support others. This is really just a small piece of what they do.”
The military working dog teams normally support national-level missions, such as political conventions and missions with the Secret Service. Rivera and Ressler had recently returned from a mission at Sioux City, Iowa, where they did sweeps at a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump when they got the call to search the Glendale battery park.
No bomb was discovered at the battery park after all four detection teams finished their sweeps.
Soldiers from 905th gathered March 7 to honor Rivera and Ressler for their efforts. Fort Knox Garrison Commander Col. Chris Ricci and Command Sgt. Maj. Sherm Waters also attended.
“We’re always talking about being ready – when your number is called. It takes commitment and dedication, and you never know when your number’s going to be called,” said Waters. “Well, your number was called, and you went out there and executed. You represented Fort Knox, and your kennel, and we appreciate you doing that.”
Ricci awarded Rivera with an Army Achievement Medal. He awarded Ressler with a Certificate of Achievement Service and a 100% made in America dog bone treat. Ressler seemed more interested in the treat.
Hinzman agreed with Waters’ assessment.
“They answered the call,” said Hinzman. “They were ready and able to go, and they kicked out the door to go assist others.”
Social Sharing