Carson City Sheriff’s K-9 officer Camper at Eagle Valley Middle School on Aug. 28, 2023.
Photo by Jessica Garcia.
Carson City Sheriff’s Deputy Derrick Kepler planted a handgun safely in an empty classroom at Eagle Valley Middle School to demonstrate how quickly his K-9 officer Camper would detect it, and Camper didn’t disappoint.
As soon as Camper entered, his behavior changed enjoying a brisk dog walk in the hallway with his handler. He detected the scent of the gun in the room and went straight for the bookshelf, sniffing out the lining of the shelves with speed. Kepler rewarded him with his favorite toy, a red ball. And after he was done, he was excited to meet some students during a passing period.
“He’s really a very sweet dog,” Kepler told the Appeal. “He loves the attention. He starts leaning into (the kids). He wants more pets and more love. He has a very calm demeanor.”
Camper has been assigned to Kepler, a school resource officer, with the Carson City Sheriff’s Office for about two years now. Originally trained on narcotics, as of March now he’s learned to detect firearms and ammunition in schools when the CCSO needs to conduct searches, Kepler said, and it’s useful for the current climate with guns in schools in the modern age.
“It just adds that extra amount of security and safety,” he said. “So while we’re doing the searches, if he does detect any odor or firearms, then he’ll pick it up and let me know.”
Kepler said Camper’s firearm training was swift since he already was familiar with the department’s operations. He’s able to pick up on the oils, metal or residue on a weapon. Although he never has had to find a real gun in a school in an actual incident to date, Kepler said he’s ready for the job.
Carson City Sheriff’s Deputy Derrick Kepler is Camper’s handler. (Jessica Garcia photo) “We do box training where we used four different boxes, one with the item we want him to alert us on and the rest are empty,” Kepler said. “I only ran him 10 times in a row on the boxes and went and hid a gun and immediately he picked up on it. He’s pretty sharp.”
The German Shepherd, about three-and-a-half years old from Hungary, also is friendly around students in school, Kepler said, and he said he lives up to his name when he goes home with him during the evenings and weekends and goes camping.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “I’ve been in the department for 14 years now, I’ve done a bunch of specialist assignments and this is by far my favorite. Having your buddy go to work with you every day and then having him come around and all the kids get so excited to see you, it’s really a cool experience.”
Kepler, who served in the Marine Corps before he entered law enforcement, said he wanted to be a police officer since he was a kid.
“It’s a really cool experience,” he said of his time with Camper and showing him to Carson City’s students. “It’s just the joy with the kids. Every time they’re walking by, it’s, ‘Oh, hey, it’s Camper!’”
Eagle Valley Principal Lee Conley welcomed the officers’ presence.
“Our SROs (school resource officers) have been able to create relationships with the kids,” Conley said. “I think even my staff has seen and know we’re doing something to keep them safe. I can’t ever see us not having one of (the officers) around now.”