Cavs, get ready for fetch-ing days at Lake Travis High School!
If you haven’t met him already, Officer Fox is the newest member to the LTHS Police Department this school year. He and his handler, Officer Stephen Dean, are working together to help keep students safe from harmful substances and to combat the ongoing obstacles that drugs present to local teens.
“Expect us to be present and involved in all the activities,” said Dean. “Expect us to be looking out for their [the student’s] safety, and above all, be very approachable and develop relationships with kids.”
Fox, who is a two-year-old German Shepherd, was born in Poland and was selected by Pacesetter K9 in Liberty Hill, Texas. Pacesetter, which is owned and operated by former military canine trainers, selects only top quality working-breed dogs for military and law enforcement agencies across the country, according to Dean. Dogs learn skills that include basic obedience, narcotics, and bomb detection, and Fox was chosen for his temperament and outstanding detection abilities.
In addition to keeping our campuses safe, a main goal for Fox and Dean is to create strong and supportive bonds with students. “Police officers may not have a lot in common with teenaged kids, but everybody likes dogs,” said Dean. “So that’s the one thing we can use to bridge the gap and open up the lines of communication with kids this year.”
While alcohol use among teens has dropped in recent years, according to a survey by Monitoring the Future, the percentage of adolescents reporting the used any illicit substance in 2023 continued to hold steady below the pre-pandemic levels reported in 2020, with 10.9% of eighth graders, 19.8% of 10th graders, and 31% of 12th graders reporting any illicit drug use in the past year. “Stay away from drugs. They are terrible for you,” said Dean. “Over the course of my career, I have seen many, many people ruin their lives over drugs and alcohol. Having Fox on campus motivates students to do a double take before bringing drugs to school.”
Like many high school students, Monday through Friday is all about work for Fox and a typical day includes morning exercise, obedience training, and searching classrooms and cars. On the weekends, he gets a well-deserved break, complete with hikes and boat rides alongside his favorite human, Officer Dean.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting this dynamic duo in person just yet, keep an eye out. They are sure to make a tremendous difference in the lives of students and staff this year – one wag at a time!
