EVERGREEN, Colo. — A new security measure is in place at Evergreen High School in the wake of a shooting last month that left two students critically injured, and this one has four legs.
Oak, a nearly 2-year old black lab, will be at the high school before class starts in the morning and when children return from lunch, according to Jefferson County Public Schools.
Oak is trained in firearm detection, using different oil to identify things like gun, ammunition and gun powder.
"If you're having to search a building, a school, anything for a particular odor or hazard, these dogs can get you in and out of there quicker, in a safer manner," Dalton Byers, Oak's handler and the owner of Byers K9 Services, said.
The school district announced the new pilot program on Sunday, stating that Oak will be conducting a general scan at the main entrance as students enter the building.
In a letter, the district's executive director of school safety told community member in-part, "The purpose of this measure is to deter the presence of weapons, to identify threats before they cause harm, and to provide an additional safeguard for our students and staff."
Byers couldn't discuss specific operations and security measures taking place at Evergreen High School, but did offer insight into the increase in need for K9s at schools over the last decade.
"I think that the, the need for is beyond what people actually realize and I think, you know, being able to get them into schools across the state would be a vital program," Byers said.
His company also offers a free program to schools across Colorado, offering to bring in a narcotics dog roughly once a month to sweep the schools.
"The fact that we are able to do things in a contributing way for our community is very important to me," Byers said.
Jeffco Public Schools will "closely monitor the effectiveness" of the program and will adjust as needed.
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