Meet Mia, the first official member of the Bossier Schools family with four legs and fur.
Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor who purchased the three-year-old Belgian Malinois and paid for her training, Mia is a certified detector dog with the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office dedicated solely to Bossier Parish Schools.
Sheriff Julian Whittington has also agreed to pick up all food and medical expenses to ensure Bossier Schools does not incur any costs.
Mia is paired with School Resource Officer Deputy Josh Cagle, who received his certification to be her handler. Home base for the two crime fighters is Airline High School, where Deputy Cagle and Mia report to work each day.
The team serves in a proactive role, patrolling the campus for illegal drugs and firearms, but are available anywhere in the district where needed.
“Mia is going to be used to conduct random narcotic sweeps at middle and high schools as well as visit special needs students becauses of her gentle temperament,” Cagle explained.
Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington added, “We know that having an SRO on every campus makes our schools safer. Now with the help of our new K-9 ‘Mia’ and her handler SRO Dep. Cagle, we are better able to search for contraband in our schools.”
“Bossier is the only school district in the region with its own K9 officer walking campuses each day and we are fortunate to have Mia as an added layer of protection to ensure our students’ and employees’ safety,” said Bossier Schools Assistant Superintendent of Administration and Personnel Mitch Downey. “We cannot express our gratitude enough to this friend of Bossier Schools who has extended to us such a valuable resource.”
