Altamonte Springs Police welcome city’s first gun-detecting K-9

ORLANDO, Fla. - When Altamonte Springs Police K-9 Bailey catches the rubber ball, she knows it's a job well done. "So the ball is strictly a reward for her. That's what she gets when she does a good job and she finds what she's supposed to look for," said her handler, Master Officer Robert Shapiro, of the Altamonte Springs Police.

In this case, Bailey alerted Shapiro to a pack of smokeless powder hidden in a locker. Bailey is Altamonte Springs' only police dog trained to find guns - particularly those in schools. "So she'll be able to detect a room, a car, a person, along with bags," said Deana DiPaola, Altamonte Springs Police public information officer.

The Seminole County Sheriff's Office also has one dog that detects guns. Bailey has been on the job for two weeks. She's based at Lake Brantley High School, where Shapiro is a school resource officer. "You see it," Shapiro said, "she's calm at one point. When she goes to work, her energy explodes."

Bailey came from a special breeder in Hungary. She's had eight weeks of special training to find guns, and been through a four-week handler course with Shapiro. Bailey will be officially sworn-in at a special ceremony at Altamonte Springs City Hall, Thursday morning.

Bailey is just 17 months old, and officers expect her to be on-the-job for the next eight to ten years. But when the workday's over, Shapiro said Bailey takes a break like the rest of us. "At the end of the day, she goes home with me, with the family, plays with the other dogs at my house and the kids."