The 5,000-square-foot building, complete with 80 kennel runs, an on-site vet clinic, kitchen, parking and 24-hour security, will provide centrally located, secure housing for law enforcement canines assigned to the Otay Mesa, San Ysidro, Tecate and San Diego air and sea ports of entry.
The CBP San Diego field office currently employs canines trained to detect smuggled narcotics and a larger number of dogs trained to sniff out both hidden drugs and humans. Canines trained to detect agricultural items and explosives also will be housed at the new facility.
CBP's canine teams have yielded substantial enforcement dividends throughout the nation. At area ports during the last three months of 2007 alone, canines have assisted in 321 narcotics seizures yielding 28,014 pounds of marijuana, 646 pounds of cocaine, 486 pounds of methamphetamines and 11 pounds of heroin, as well as 90 smuggled migrants.
The new facility was named for Bonni Tischler, a remarkable federal law enforcement executive whose career spanned 30 years, with a long lists of "firsts," prior to her retirement from CBP in 2002 and her death in 2005. Tischler's brother, Andrew Kessel of Little Rock, Ark., participated in the dedication ceremony.
"This new facility will provide our canines and our officers with the necessary support to perform their jobs at the highest level," said Adele Fasano, CBP director of operations in San Diego. "It's a one-of-a-kind structure designed to meet the specific needs of the San Diego canine program."
The new building replaces contracted kennel space in private facilities in San Diego that proved inadequate for CBP needs in terms of location, space and security, Fasano said.
"The new kennel is centrally located to all our area ports and will dramatically reduce costs associated with travel to and from the border when compared to contracted facilities we previously used," Fasano said. "It's been five years in the making to plan, fund, permit and build this structure."
Photo by James R. Tourtellotte
