Albertville High School adds firearm detection K9 to faculty

The story was first brought to you by Savannah Sapp at WAFF 48.

The newest faculty member at Albertville High School has four legs, a wagging tail, and a sharp nose.

K9 Loki is the brand new partner of school resource officer Gilbert Lucero who has served the school district for five years.

Lucero said he and Loki went through extensive training at a facility in Opelika to equip the K9′s nose to sniff out firearms. 

“Anything to do with firearms, ammunition, smokeless powders, ammonium nitrate,” Lucero told WAFF 48.

Loki is the city’s first firearm detection dog and will be used on all Albertville city school campuses including school events.

Lucero says the school district worked with the city to bring Loki to campus after an incident last year, when a student brought a loaded gun to school and attempted to run away with it.

“I think that definitely sparked a proactive approach to secure this dog and to ensure the safety and security of the staff and minimize the presence of firearms on campus,” Lucero said.

Loki can detect firearms and any chemical elements pertaining to them, whether that is one single bullet on the ground, or a gun in a student’s backpack.

Loki does not mind the work, in fact Lucero said his partner is often the most excited when working on school grounds.

Lucero says Loki is not on campus to intimidate or make students feel singled out. Rather, Loki is apart of the Aggie family to provide an extra layer of security for staff, students and parents.

“I feel like it makes people feel safer, especially students, parents, staff. I mean, he’s like part of the Aggie family. He just walks around sniffing and it just shows people ‘Hey, I’m here to work, I’m here to protect you’,” Lucero said.

The school district paid for Loki along with his training and certifications, and school leaders said he is a worth-while investment.