ATLANTA — Atlanta Public Schools Police is adding its first-ever K-9 officers to the force.
The trio just wrapped up their training and are ready to be put to work as students head back to school in Atlanta on Aug. 1.
On Thursday, 11Alive got the chance to meet the new K-9s along with their handlers.
Tom and Taki are both one year and happen to share the same birthday.
They also look very similar but it's unknown if they're related. Aaron is two years old, making him the oldest on the K-9 force. All three are German shorthaired pointers.
APS Police Chief Ronald Applin said the K-9s will just add an extra layer of security to their schools. They'll be able to respond immediately to any possible bomb threat to begin the sweep. Applin acknowledged with the size of most of their schools, the K-9s will still be assisted by outside agencies.
Applin said not only will the K-9 officers be used to detect weapons as the students are entering the schools but they'll also be doing random checks throughout the day outside of the schools.
He said what they've seen is students ditching their weapons outside the school buildings-- knowing they'll be detected by metal detectors as they walk inside the building. The students then retrieve those weapons once the school lets out.
Applin said they'll evaluate how useful the K-9s are and their success rate as an indicator and may add more four-legged officers to their force in the future.