Police Dog Being Used To Sniff Out Weapons Within This Riverside County School District

PERRIS, CA — Students across the Val Verde Unified School District have a new four-legged protector on campus following the addition of a specialized detection dog to the district’s police force, officials announced Monday.

K-9 Ella, a trained detection dog, has joined the Val Verde Unified School District Police Department alongside her handler, Officer Hurst. The pair will conduct routine campus visits and random safety checks in coordination with school administrators to detect weapons and other prohibited items.

Val Verde Unified School District covers portions of Moreno Valley and Perris, most of Mead Valley and parts of Lake Mathews, March ARB, and Woodcrest in unincorporated Riverside County.

District officials said the primary goal of the K-9 unit is deterrence, aiming to prevent prohibited items from entering schools while reinforcing existing security measures.

"Ella isn't replacing those measures — she's joining them," district officials said in a statement, noting that the K-9 team will complement campus police officers, security guards, surveillance systems, and emergency response planning.

Ella succeeds K-9 Kodi, who retired after five years of service with the department.

Beyond safety sweeps, the K-9 team will regularly interact with students during school activities to build trust and ensure children do not associate the dog's presence solely with emergencies or disciplinary actions. Department officials emphasized that positive student-officer relationships encourage pupils to report concerning behavior, threats, or social media posts.

District authorities reminded parents that seeing Ella on campus does not indicate an active safety threat, as her duties include routine checks, ongoing training, and educational demonstrations.