Cobb County adds new gun and explosive-sniffing dogs to schools
The Brief
Cobb County Schools is taking new measures to boost safety just weeks after a deadly incident involving a student and a gun.
The county announced that it will be hiring two Vapor Wake dogs to search for concealed firearms and explosives.
Cobb County currently spends over $35 million on school safety annually.
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Cobb County Schools are taking new measures to protect students after a deadly incident in January involving a student with a gun.
On Thursday, the school district announced plans to add a new layer of protection to keep students safe.
The backstory
On the afternoon of Jan. 15, Lindley Middle School in Mableton was swarmed by police after a report of a shooting inside one of the bathrooms.
Police said a student used a gun to harm herself. The Cobb County Police Department and Cobb County School Police quickly responded, securing the campus and initiating a lockdown to protect students and staff.
The student, whose identity has not been disclosed, was airlifted to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta in critical condition. A week later, police confirmed that she succumbed to her injuries.
READ MORE: Lindley Middle School shooting: Student dies after shooting self on campus, police say
The tragic event left students, parents, and staff shaken and had some in the community calling for stronger safety measures to prevent weapons from entering schools.
What we know
This week, Cobb County Schools announced that they will be adding two Vapor Wake canine detection teams through a partnership with the company Global K9.
These dogs will be added to the K9s already patrolling Cobb County classrooms. Unlike the traditional detection dogs, the two new additions are "specially trained to continuously sample the air for concealed firearms and explosives, tracking potential threats even while in motion," officials said.
The Vapor Wake teams are used at Atlanta Braves games, universities, arenas, theaters, and the United Nations.
The idea is to speed up the response to any potential threats.
What they're saying
"We want our families to see for themselves that our schools are the safest in our community," Board Chair David Chastain said in a release announcing the dogs. "These canine teams are another example of us identifying and addressing threats before they happen."
At a board meeting on Thursday, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said that the district will "Be a the forefront of ensuring the safety of our students and team" while they are on the county's campuses.
"As we spend over $35 million on safety per year, other than your home, Cobb's schools continue to be the safest environment in our county, and we are confident Vapor Wake dogs will make our schools even safer," Ragsdale said.
Big picture view
The new dogs will soon be added to the county's multi-layered security approach in its schools.
The Cobb Shield program includes a 24/7 tip line, a crisis alert system, and the Evolv screening system.
The Source
FOX 5's Marc Teicher reported this story out of Cobb County. Additional information for this report came from a release by Cobb County Schools and previous FOX 5 reporting.
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