New K9 cops for Hall Co Schools

Two new K9 cops are joining school resource officers at schools in Hall County: the Hall County Sheriff’s Office says the dogs will be deployed at East Hall High School and Lanier College Career Academy.

From WSB TV…

On the first day of school, the students at Lanier College Career Academy and East Hall High School in Hall County will have new four-legged classmates roaming the halls with them.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office is increasing its K-9 presence in schools.

K-9 Zena and her handler Deputy Justin Bonds and K-9 Zeus and his handler Deputy Chris will begin working at the district.

These two new K-9s join K-9 Murph and Deputy Zack Marley, who will begin their fourth year of service at West Hall High School.

“We welcome Zena and Zeus to the Hall County Team, and we appreciate the role they will play in helping to keep students and staff safe,” said HCSD 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱. “For years, these four-legged heroes have brought an undeniable sense of safety and comfort to our schools—whether they are housed in a building with one of our SROs or simply visiting during a search.”

Zena and Zeus started with the sheriff’s department in June, coming from Florida.

The three K9s assigned to the school district are trained in narcotics detection, according to a news release.

The department said having dogs helps students build better relationships with deputies.

“Having the dogs in the schools really helps to build a better relationship with our deputies,” said Jeremy Prickett, who is the sergeant over the HCSO K9 Unit. “Sometimes a student may be uneasy approaching a deputy in a uniform about a concern, but having the dog there kind of breaks the ice.”

The sheriff’s office and the Hall County School District are sharing the costs that go with training the K9s that serve in the schools.

In total, the county has 13 different K-9 units that do many things, including search and rescue, explosives detection and narcotics detection.

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