COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. – Students at Columbia High School will now be under the watchful eye of the latest K-9 team from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
K-9 Jade debuted along with her handler, Deputy Kevin Bailey, at the most recent School Board meeting on Tuesday.
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The pair were recently assigned to the CCSO School Resource Unit under a grant from the Columbia County School District that provides for a K-9 handler to be part of the school resource division.
Bailey and Jade showed off their skills at the meeting with a demonstration.
Bailey placed several chairs on the stage with backpacks hanging on the back to simulate a classroom set-up. He then directed K-9 Jade into the “classroom” to search for contraband.
K-9 Jade alerted on a backpack that contained a handgun and loose ammo, while bypassing the others with regular school items in them. Watch below
Jade is a German short-haired pointer that has been uniquely trained in the detection of basic explosives, gunpowder, gun oils, and gun parts.
Bailey and Jade trained for over 240 hours for their certification this past summer in Pennsylvania. Both are also certified Project Lifesaver program trackers.
As a part of the grant, the K-9 will have a specially wrapped vehicle, which includes K-9 warnings, “Gun Detection Dog” designation, the Fortify FL, CCSO, and International Project Lifesaver logos, along with every CCSD school logo on the hood.
Bailey and Jade are currently deployed to Columbia High School, but can respond to any campus within Columbia County for an emergency response or for a K-9 demonstration to a group of students.