Columbia County schools welcome Jade, a new gun‑detection K‑9, and her handler from the sheriff’s office

The Columbia County School Board on Oct. 28 welcomed a new school resource K-9 and its handler from the sheriff’s office.

Speaker 9 introduced "SRD Kevin Bailey" and his canine partner Jade, saying Jade is a "gun detection dog" and will be based at Columbia High School with plans to visit other schools for both demonstrations and detection duties. "She is our gun detection dog, and she's gonna put on a little demonstration for you," Speaker 9 said.

Deputy Kevin Bailey (introduced in the transcript as SRD Kevin Bailey) and other law-enforcement representatives described a classroom-style demonstration in which backpacks with decoy training items were used and noted a fully fitted vehicle for the K-9 handler parked outside the meeting room. The vehicle carries logos from Columbia County School District schools, which law-enforcement speakers said reflects the partnership between the schools and the sheriff’s office.

Board members praised the introduction and said students had responded positively at recent events, including homecoming. Superintendent Cooley and multiple board members thanked the sheriff’s office for the partnership and noted the role of school resource deputies in district safety efforts.

Sheriff's office representatives told the board the K-9 will be used throughout the school system as an additional safety resource and encouraged attendees to view the vehicle and speak with deputies after the meeting. The transcript records demonstration logistics and vehicle display but does not record operational details such as deployment schedules, training certifications or search thresholds; those were not specified in the meeting record.