Two K9 officers sworn in as school resource officers
Members of the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, Williamson County Schools and the Williamson County Animal Center celebrated two new four-legged school resource officers (SRO) during a ceremony on Aug. 7.
More than 60 people witnessed the awarding of badges, patches and chew toys to Chet and Scout at the animal center. The dogs were adopted from the Williamson County Animal Center and Snooty Giggles Dog Rescue, and trained to earn their certification from the United States Police Canine Association as narcotics officers.
Scout, a yellow Labrador, has been partnered with Deputy John Bevans and lives with him and his family. Chet is a mixture of five breeds and lives with Deputy Brandon Rivera and his family.
The sheriff’s office and Williamson County Schools are launching a joint SRO program this school year that they hope will eventually place narcotics dogs in each county high school. Bevans and Scout will patrol Independence High School this year, while Rivera and Chet will be stationed at Ravenwood High School.
Also honored during the ceremony was Nala, the Belgian Malinois partner of Sgt. Amy Fann. Fann is the supervisor of the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office SRO program, and first proposed bringing narcotics dogs into schools.
“She said that we can use K9s to make campuses safer,” Deputy Chief Matt Gelfand said. “She had the idea, pitched it up the chain and didn’t let it die. Thank you for your vision to make this program a reality.”
Gelfand said Bevans and Rivera had to pass a series of strict assessments, including responding to a mock emergency and a panel interview, to become K9 handlers. He praised their dedication to their jobs and their four-legged partners.
“The selection process that gave us these officers was correct,” Gelfand stated. “These dogs have the willingness, drive, heart and desire to please, and they’re becoming guardians of our children in schools.”
Ravenwood High School Principal Dr. Patrick Boyd shared he is excited to see the new K9 program grow.
“We’ve been partners with the SROs for decades, and I’m looking forward to seeing it continue to benefit