Police pooches: US schools employ gun-sniffing dogs to curb violence – and bring students joy | US policing

As the new school year got under way in Tennessee, students in the Wilson county school district near Nashville welcomed two new school employees, Zander and Zena.

But they are not assistants or janitors, they are black labrador dogs on a serious mission – to protect the school community from gun violence and mass shootings in a country awash in firearms carried by the public.

“It comes down to being proactive rather than reactive,” Bart Barker, the public information officer for the Wilson county sheriff’s office, said.

Wilson is one of a rising number of school districts across the country joining the growing trend of introducing dogs on campus that detect guns and ammunition.

Over the last three years, there has been a drastic rise in gun violence at schools across the country, from kindergartens to college campuses, according to an analysis by CNN, with 2021, 2022 and 2023 all setting records for the number of incidents occurring on school property.

As a result, more schools started implementing enhanced safety and security measures. Frank Cilurso, the co-founder of 3DK9 Detection, a company that provides weapon-detecting dogs to schools, said that there had been a drastic uptick in the number of schools inquiring about the use of the animals in recent years.

“It’s incredibly effective at identifying threats and helping keep people safe,” Cilurso said, adding that to make the students feel more comfortable, the schools often request labradors or “floppy-eared dogs”.

The dogs can detect firearms, ammunition, ammunition cases, post-blast residue, smokeless powder, gun oils and gun lubricants, Billy Woods, the sheriff in Marion county, between Orlando and Jacksonville, Florida, said in 2022, when announcing the introduction of dogs in that school district.

“When we look to the future and the increasing amount of gun violence that is occurring, especially on school campuses, it’s a no-brainer,” Woods said.

In May, NBC News reported that 30 guns were found by firearm-detecting dogs in Dallas-Fort Worth schools during the 2023-2024 school year.

In districts that use these animals, typically one or two police dogs are shared between the schools within the district. The canines, along with their handlers, make regular rounds and random visits to each school.

District officials that have introduced dogs on their campuses in recent years told the Guardian that the animals were powerful deterrents.

Erik DeAngelis, a police corporal in Marion county and the handler for one of the school district’s dogs, Albie, said that the dogs were introduced there in 2022 to enhance safety in response to school shootings across the country.

Since then, no guns have been found in the school buildings in his district, he said, adding that in the years prior, administrators had found guns in backpacks and bathrooms. “No numbers is showing that it’s doing something,” he added.

The dogs have also helped bridge gaps between law enforcement and the school communities, district officials said.

“There’s a lot more students coming up talking to us,” allowing for “conversations that we haven’t had before with students”, DeAngelis said, adding that this year, his district also certified the dogs in therapy.

At Granite school district on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, Utah, officials introduced a gun-detecting dog named Bolt last year in response to an increase in gun-related incidents in their district post-Covid, Andrea Stringham, the media representative for the district, said.

Garrett Penrose, a police officer and Bolt’s handler, said that Bolt had proved “invaluable for some kids that are in crisis” and helped form connections with children who might be more introverted.

That sentiment was echoed by Brian Howarth, a K9 sergeant in Orange county near Orlando, Florida, and the handler for Coco, the gun-detecting dog for the county’s school district. Through Coco, he said, students who rarely speak to teachers or staff were opening up more.

“She’s probably the most popular employee everywhere I go,” Howarth said, adding that Coco had an Instagram account many parents and students follow.

The various school districts added that the dogs were just one component of their multi-layered approaches to safety and security. The districts also have a range of measures in place such as student resource officers, enhanced mental health services, video systems, metal detectors, anonymous reporting apps, computer monitoring systems and more.

In Washoe county, north-western Nevada, a gun-detecting dog named Astro started working with the school police last year, and had successfully detected ammunition and magazines on school property, Seana Baker, the school district’s police deputy, said – but no firearms.

“It’s been stellar,” Baker said. “Just the deterrent alone has made a huge difference.”

Although much technology available is for detecting weapons, Baker emphasized that dogs offer additional social and emotional benefits for the community.

Funding for K9 programs can be elusive, and some departments suffer “because they can’t do continuous funding”, she added.

Where possible, Baker said she would recommend these dogs to every school district.

“Having that opportunity to engage with students, because a dog draws people in, is priceless,” Baker said. “You’re changing relationships, you’re changing lives, and you’re also potentially saving them.”