Canine Officers Begin Patrolling Mid-South High School in Search of Contraband

GERMANTOWN, Tenn. — Houston High School is increasing its security by hiring a few four-legged officers.

In a letter sent to parents, administrators said students can expect to see detection canines on campus conducting inspections.

The Houston High administration said the trained canines will conduct random inspections for drugs, alcohol and other banned items. They said this is just another way to ensure safety for all students and faculty.

"I think my parents think it's a good idea just because there's been a lot of school shootings," student Madison Skaggs said.

Skaggs and Sophia Jones are both juniors at Houston. They said they were notified Tuesday of the school's decision to bring in trained canines for extra security.

"I don't feel unsafe, no," Jones said.

In the letter sent to parents, school officials said the dogs are non-aggressive and are trained to identify drugs, prescription pills, alcohol and firearms.

The district said it hopes the canine officers will deter students from bringing such items to school.

Some students said they think the dogs are a bit too much.

"It's not really an issue at our school in my opinion," Skaggs said. "I don't really see a lot of kids bringing in things that they shouldn't be bringing in."

School officials said combined with surveillance cameras, secured entrances and officers on campus, the canines are just another tool for maintaining school safety.

Students said earlier this year, school officials added fencing around the campus.

WREG reached out Georgetown Municipal School District for more information about the canines, but they haven't responded.

A student said the canines were seen patrolling the parking lot earlier in the day Wednesday. However, school officials want to assure parents the animals will not come in contact with any of the students.

https://wreg.com/2020/01/08/canine-officers-begin-patrolling-mid-south-high-school-in-search-of-contraband/