During its meeting on Monday night, the Lake County School Board will take a decision on funding for a K9 handler dedicated to vape detection.
Samba, a yellow Labrador Retriever who is 1 1/2 years old, would be devoted to finding vape pens and THC on Lake County school grounds.
Erica Stamborski, a K9 handler for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, stated, “This is really huge for the schools.” “With the rise in student vaping, the school board and law enforcement saw the need for this.”
The LCSO reports that in the 2022–2023 school year, school resource deputies issued 323 vape-related violations to students enrolled in the 23 schools under their jurisdiction.
As of October 31, 2023–2024, there had been 84 citations related to vaping for the academic year.
It’s more difficult to spot vape usage. The children can hide it. They are available in many smells and flavours.
Samba will have the ability to identify not just liquid nicotine and THC, but also the vape itself.
Her training with, say, one sort of vape will help her pick up on that and learn to be aware of the cartridge itself and the liquid within, because occasionally we’ll find some that are virtually empty. When (the dogs) sniff something, they’re getting every constituent of that object. Together, those scents will alert her to the fact that this is the object we’re searching for.
The $63,000 required for Samba’s handler will be put to a vote by the Lake County School Board on Monday night. Superintendent of Lake County Schools Diane Kornegay said the school board was able to obtain the money because of a kind donation.
Concerns regarding the growing use of vape pens in schools are shared by educators, administrators, parents, and students. We all want to ensure that our children are safe and informed of the risks associated with this new technology.
On Nov. 27, Samba is scheduled to start his training. By early 2024, according to district officials, Samba might receive training.
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