When hundreds or even thousands of people show up at the State House for an event, officers with the Bureau of Protective Services are hard at work ensuring safety of all visitors. Recently, BPS’ K-9 Unit conducted a simulated training scenario, where the K-9s were tasked with screening an individual in a wheelchair for explosives or firearms.

The training has always been an idea Master Officer Ivan Birochak wanted to see come to life, but he didn’t have the right connections to make it happen. That was until Disability Advocacy Day in March, when his path crossed with an impressive USC graduate student, Kaylyn Sinclair.

“Kaylyn generously volunteered several hours in her day to act as a decoy in this dynamic training situation,” Birochak said. “This gave our K-9s, Georgie and Ally, valuable experience and exposure to someone in a wheelchair, which is a rare opportunity for us. To ensure we keep everyone safe at the State House, giving them exposure to every scenario they can encounter, is extremely important.”

Sinclair, who has been in a wheelchair since the age of 6, was excited to get involved, but initially nervous to make sure she didn’t compromise the training scenario.

“The dogs really weren’t trained for people in wheelchairs, which is totally normal and understandable. They’re used to seeing someone walking all of the time, so it throws them off when they see a chair,” Sinclair said. “The dogs might not necessarily feel like they need to search people with wheelchairs as much, which makes this training even more important.”

The 25-year-old USC graduate student noted a time when she attended a concert and rode right through security without being screened, which raised concerns about the proper safety protocol when it comes to those with disabilities and security screenings.

“They didn’t have the proper things to search me,” she said. “It makes you think about if I or somebody else actually had something threatening, there would be no way of knowing since a search wasn’t conducted.

That experience and her desire to become more active in her advocacy work for those with disabilities is the reason Sinclair says she’s excited to come back, so the K-9s can keep learning and getting exposure.

“I think it’s really cool that Ivan is going out of his way to try and make this training happen. He is making sure that people with disabilities can be screened and be safe,” she said. “I am currently reaching out to people so I can get a few more volunteers, so the dogs don’t get used to me.”