NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — K-9 trainers offer insight ahead of the arrival of bomb-sniffing dogs going to downtown Orlando. Facilities like Southern Coast K9 teach dogs to work crowds and detect hazardous materials. Much like what’s set to happen at safety checkpoints across Orlando’s entertainment district.

Beginning Friday night, the City of Orlando is implementing controlled-access checkpoints to check out people going into bars and restaurants after certain hours, according to Mayor Buddy Dyer’s office.

The announcement followed an early Sunday shooting that injured seven people in the city’s entertainment district downtown. Dyer’s office said special dogs will staff the checkpoints as well.

At Southern Coast K9, Operations Manager Jack Murray helps train canines, he’s been working with dogs for quite some time, and previously worked in law enforcement for nearly 30 years.

For ‘vapor wake’ training, Murray explains it’s mostly a method of training K-9s to detect things like bombs and guns.

“We trained the dogs to pick up on that odor and actually track through crowds of people through busy areas,” Murray said.

It's like the training for other substance-detecting dogs, really, Murray explains. An 18-month-old Belgian Malinois-German Shepherd hybrid, Knox, has been trained to detect drugs, and for patrols. He’s going home to Georgia, to the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, with his handler Chris Ferguson soon. He showed his skills in some of the drill rooms at the facility.

That’s 12 weeks for patrol training, and another 4 to 6 weeks for the drug training; it’s an intense course which Ferguson joins up to meet the dog and work with for six of those weeks.

Murray insists these canines are safe in crowds, and won’t violate anyone’s personal space: “they are not dogs that are aggressive in any way. These dogs are very social, good temperaments able to be around large groups of people.”

However, the animals will alert to people with substances or traces of scents on them the dogs are trained to sniff out.

“It’s not intrusive, it’s very safe to do. The dog can work through the crowd,” Murray continues.

As for the people passing through any of the city’s six checkpoints this weekend, a Mayor’s spokesperson says that if an officer finds probable cause, they’ll investigate. “They will investigate and take the enforcement action,” writes Ashley Papagni.

With guns, Mayor Dyer said earlier, those with concealed carry permits will be allowed to carry; those without permits and carrying illegally will be dealt with accordingly and not permitted into the controlled areas.