The pilot program is being launched as the nation is on edge after a string of high-profile school shootings.
Arapahoe County Sheriff Deputy Travis Jones and Zeke the electronics-sniffing dog stand in the halls of Littleton’s Newton Middle School as kids head to lunch. March 22, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Denver Public Schools is launching a fleet of gun-sniffing dogs at sporting events as part of an experimental Canine Weapon Detection Program designed to help keep students safe from gun violence.
The program is being launched as the nation is on edge after a string of high-profile school shootings, including one at Evergreen High School that sparked several Denver metro school walkouts over gun violence.
DPS has also had gun incidents in and outside of the schools this year.
Canine weapon and drug detection programs have spread nationally. In Dallas-Forth Worth schools, the dogs found 30 guns on campuses in one year and were used in 1,500 drug seizures, NBC 5 reported.
The DPS dogs will only sniff for guns, not drugs. They will be stationed at sporting events at “select schools.” While they are designed to find guns, the district hopes they deter people who want to bring firearms to school events from doing so in the first place.
The program is a pilot. DPS will evaluate the program’s effectiveness and consider allocating canines to an unspecified number of schools as part of the district’s “Long-Term Safety Plan.”
A DPS spokesperson did not immediately know what company the district will be contracting with, how much the program costs, how many dogs are involved, what dog breed will be used, or which schools will have the canine teams. Nor could he immediately explain why the district was using dogs instead of metal detectors.
The district hopes the canine weapons teams are “supportive and unobstrusive” and do not disrupt positive school spirit.
DPS plans to reach out to families, staff and community members for input on safety protocols. At events, the district will have QR codes available for people to provide feedback.
“The addition of canine teams at school events is designed to provide an extra layer of reassurance, helping our community focus on learning, connection, and school spirit,” wrote Greg Cazzell, the district’s chief of Climate and Safety, in a letter to parents.