Detection Dogs In Schools

Arizona schools bring trained K-9s on campus to keep students safe

By Jason BarryPublished: Nov. 12, 2024 at 4:56 PM MST

GLENDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — A growing number of schools across the state are bringing drug dogs on campus to help improve safety.

Several highly trained K-9s stopped by Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale this week. They are part of a team called the Desert Drug Dogs, that visit Valley schools throughout the year.

“One-hundred percent, it’s about keeping campus safe and keeping our students safe,” said Tony Miller, the school’s assistant principal. “We don’t want anybody using something that could potentially harm themselves, or potentially harm somebody else.”

The K-9s are trained to find signs of marijuana, fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and meth.

“The dogs are looking for drug odor,” said handler Michaley Adkins. “They don’t necessarily find the drug product itself, but find the odor of the drug. If he finds something he will give us his find alert, which is either going to be a sit or lay down.”

All of the searches take place when students aren’t around, in locker rooms

If there is a possible hit on a vehicle, students will be called out of class immediately and have their car searched; Miller does the follow up, talking to students and looking through cars.

The school can legally search anything on campus, as long as they have reasonable suspicion.

All three of the cars searched in the student parking lot Tuesday, turned up clean with no contraband, and there was nothing illegal found anywhere else on campus.

“That’s telling me they are making good decisions,” said Miller. “That’s always a very rewarding feeling when you know they’re not engaging in activities to harm themselves or potentially others.”

School officials do not let students know when the drug dogs are coming, but are told the dogs will show up at random during the semester which has proven to be an added incentive to not bring anything illegal to school.

“If they don’t know when we are coming, and if we can show up multiple times at any point at any time of day, then obviously that increase the deterrence,” said Dana Thelander, with Desert Drug Dog. “It’s a chance to add another layer of safety protection.”

The Deer Valley Unified School District currently spend around $3,000 to have the dogs search five school campuses throughout the year.