ICE Federal Protective Service (FPS)

Antoinetta Steely, Inspector in Charge/Explosive Detection Dog Unit, Federal Protective Service

It was an early encounter with lawlessness that inspired Antoinetta Steely to pursue a career in law enforcement.

“I was in the back seat of my mother’s station wagon and I remember seeing a car run a red light and almost hit us,” the Boston native recalls. “I remember saying to my mom that one day I would be a cop and do something about those people.”

Steely performs dual roles with ICE’s Federal Protective Service (FPS). As an inspector, she’s responsible for assessing security needs at federal facilities; installing and monitoring security enhancements; consulting with building occupants on emergency plans; and providing crime prevention information and presentations to federal tenants.

As a canine handler, she and her partner “Haiko” form an Explosive Detection Dog (EDD) team dedicated to protecting life and property and deterring criminals and terrorists. Together, Steely and Haiko conduct regular searches of vehicles and offices; respond to bomb threats and suspicious package reports; and are deployed to special events such as political conventions and sporting events.

With 13 years of service with the FPS, Steely is in charge of the New England Region EDD program, which currently consists of five teams. The expansion of FPS’s K-9 units into the New England Region stems from a proposal that Steely began developing in September 2000. At that time, FPS had only 15 EDD teams, all located in the Washington D.C.-Metro area.

She had presented her proposal and it had been approved for implementation when the terrorists struck on September 11, 2001.

“I was working a terrorist trial detail in New York City when the planes hit the World Trade Center,” Steely says. “That terrorist attack pushed the program forward, because people better understood the need for enhanced security at government buildings. Two months later, I received my new partner Haiko from Holland, and we became the first team outside the Washington D.C. area. Soon the EDD program had expanded to over 50 teams nationwide, and it’s anticipated to grow to nearly 100.”

Steely also hopes to inspire other young people to pursue careers in law enforcement. At a recent “Criminal Justice Career Day” at her alma mater, Northeastern University in Boston, she and Haiko represented ICE and she was pleased with the feedback they got from the students.

“We had a line of students waiting to talk to us,” she says. “I was proud to be there almost 10 years after graduating and get such a great response from the students.”