US - Trained dogs used to sniff out motorcycles with loud pipes

OFF THE WIRE

Law enforcement agencies may have found their secret weapon against motorcycle noise and the answer comes on four legs.
After ten years of perfecting training techniques, Kanine Kings, a company in Phoenix Arizona that supplies drug-sniffing dogs to law agencies all over the world has announced today it can effectively produce four legged friends that will react to specific loud noises such as those produced by what many call ‘loud pipes’.
Motorcycle noise is an ongoing debate with even manufacturers advising riders to keep the levels low if not to prevent any legislation regulating motorcycle but also help the public’s perceptions of bikers.
Many legal experts feel with this new furry weapon, the final hurdle of legally implementing legislation targeting motorcycles blasting more decibels than is recommended both federally as well as in different states around the country could be overcome.
”Just as the court system recognizes the legality of searching a suspect when a trained dog detects drugs,” noted legal expert Lawdon Suit, “There isn’t much work to be done to set the bar to allow the same for a dog to alert law officials to suspected loud pipes.”
Effectively, any alert given by a trained animal would allow police to conduct an electronic test with reasonable cause.
Motorcycle advocacy groups appear to have mixed opinions on the matter with many ABATE chapters prepared to ride to Washington over a perceived infringement on a biker’s rights while the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) is reviewing the matter with its legal counsel.
Meanwhile, municipalities around the country have reacted quickly to the news. Many cities such as Myrtle Beach view this as an opportunity to curtail any further attempts to revive the motorcycle rally that grew to become one of the largest in the country. Officials began implementing a variety of laws several years ago to effectively chase the event out of town and some city commissioners have noted this could be the ‘magic bullet’.
Other cash strapped cities and towns are eyeing this latest training technique as an opportunity to help with struggling budgets in dire need of balancing.
“Depending on the cost of the trained canines this could prove a cost effective method of bringing in much needed revenues,” said a mayor from a small New Hampshire town who asked not to be identified.
But the law enforcement agencies may have to what just a little bit longer for the decibel sensitive dogs, the owner of Kanine Kings is looking for some clarification on the legal front.
“There are several standards of how much is too much noise when it comes to motorcycle exhaust systems, “ explain Dale Collie, owner of the dog training company, “Once the canine is trained, its embedded for the rest of its life, so we have to make sure we have the correct noise amount to train to.”
Collie estimates by the time attorneys establish the correct decibel level and the dogs are trained accordingly, it be twelve months before the first specialized dog is delivered. More information on those hurdles were discussed in an article published last year.
“”I don’t foresee any canines trained to detect loud pipes on the streets before April 1st of next year,” Collie said with a smile, “but then bikers better beware.”
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