MESQUITE, Texas — In an effort to put an end to gun violence in schools, Mesquite police have a new way of detecting guns at those particular buildings.
Police now have a gun-detecting dog that will go around the district.
WFAA got to meet "Officer Ferris" and follow him around to see how he does his job.
“Hi Ferris, don’t be scared… what is this camera,” said Mesquite resource officer Brian Hill.
While Ferris was shy in front of the camera, don’t let his demeanor fool you.
"He’s always working, motivated for his ball," Hill said.
When Hill puts the vest on, Ferris knows that means business.
His training is extensive. "Ferris is trained on 14 different explosive odors," said Hill.
The 2-year-old chocolate lab will be going around to all Mesquite schools.
"Ferris searches the air for the firearm. He tracks that, smells it in the air to the source," said Hill.
Ferris took a walk through the busy halls to see how he operates.
"You notice he gets closer to somebody, and back, at that point, let me double check, we’re good," Hill said.
But when Ferris smells something like in the cafeteria, he lets his owner know to stop by pulling him.
A couple of minutes later, a reward.
Ferris’ motivation is the red ball.
His job is to save lives and make sure students have a safe environment.
"There isn’t a year that goes by that I haven’t lost a kid. I’m tired of losing kids, this is my way of doing something about it," Hill said.