DCPS K-9 teams train for new year with focus on searches, missing students and evidence recovery

DCPS police are training their K-9 teams before the school year, showing how dogs search for threats, track students, and support campus safety across Jacksonville.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As students prepare to return to classrooms, Duval County Public Schools police are spending the summer training their K-9 teams for situations they could face during the school year.

The district held a K-9 training demonstration Monday, showing how handlers work with their dogs through different search scenarios. The training included exercises focused on detecting potential threats, tracking missing students and recovering evidence.

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DCPS currently has four K-9s assigned to the district, with a fifth dog expected to join the unit soon. The dogs are trained to detect firearms or narcotics and can also assist officers in other situations on school campuses.

“Every now and then a student does get off campus. We can utilize our police dogs to track behind them and locate where the student has gone and get them back to safety,” Short said.

During the demonstration, officers practiced scenarios involving a student who had left campus. The exercise showed how a K-9 team could help track a person’s location and assist officers in bringing them back safely.

The dogs are also trained to locate evidence that could be left behind during a crime.

“A lot of times in the commission of a crime, if the perpetrator is fleeing the scene, they may discard evidence or discard a firearm in their flight from the police. So, our police dogs are trained to locate that evidence and indicate on the evidence so that we can retrieve it,” Short said.

The district says the K-9 unit has grown through partnerships and funding opportunities.

“Taking advantage of those relationships, taking advantage of those opportunities has allowed us to expand our canine unit,” Short said.

DCPS said the dogs can be used to search things like backpacks, lockers and other campus spaces for potential threats. The summer training allows officers and handlers to continue building those skills before students return.