Ogden School District gets a new four-legged friend, Piper
Sep 17, 2024, 5:00 PM
Piper is the newest member of the K-9 unit in the Ogden School District. (Ogden City Police Department)
(Ogden City Police Department)
OGDEN, Utah — People say dogs are a man’s best friend, but the newest addition to the Ogden School District may be a student’s best friend.
Piper is a two-year-old female German Shorthaired Pointer, and she is part of the district’s plan to ensure student safety.
Piper and her handler Officer R. Mackley help keep the Ogden School District safe. (Ogden City Police Department)
The Ogden School District Plan
In September 2023 the Ogden School District started an initiative to introduce a specialized K-9 unit.
This initiative was part of the districts goal of becoming the safest school district in Utah.
Working with the Ogden Police Department the district made sure that Piper got the proper training.
Before going into active service in April 2024 Piper received two months of training at the Utah POST Academy. She continues to receive ongoing training to keep her skills sharp.
Her main job is to detect weapons like firearms and ammunition in and around schools but has also detected firearms on police calls outside of schools.
More than just detection
Piper is not only is a trained weapons detector she’s also a pretty awesome emotional support animal.
“She goes around the elementary schools and does a lot of public relations as far as interacting with the students and they enjoy her, ” said Ogden Police Department’s Lt. Will Farr.
Officer R. Mackley, a school resource officer assigned to Ben Lomond High School and Piper’s handler, said that Piper has had a big impact.
“It is amazing how many elementary school students come up to me and know Piper’s name. These are students who I have never met
before, but they still know about Piper and are excited to see her,” said Mackley.
But Farr said that the priority is still weapon detection.
“For me priority and duty is weapon detection, or guns and ammunition and some explosives detection in schools, ” said Farr.
Officer Mackley named Piper in honor of Ben Lomond High School’s mascot, the Scots, and the school’s tradition of a student bagpipe group.
