The Blount County and Macon County Sheriff’s Departments have been awarded the Larry Amerson School Safety Scholarship, Global K9 Protection Group announced. The scholarship is named for late Calhoun County Sheriff Larry Amerson, who died in 2020 after a battle with cancer.

The Paws on Patrol School Safety Program was created to boost public and school safety initiatives. It comes with elite canines as well as training and certifications for two School Resource Officers.

State Sen. Keith Kelley (R-Anniston) addressed the group to express his thanks for Paws on Patrol helping school systems in Alabama become safer. 

“A lot of times you don’t get to see the impact of having a deterrent, such as a firearms detection dog,” he said. “We hope these dogs can stop a possible attack before it happens.”

Lisa Amerson, widow of the long-time sheriff and member of the Calhoun County School Board said, “I think it’s an honor to have Larry’s name associated with this scholarship. He created the SRO program for the Calhoun County School District.”

At the awards luncheon in Anniston, Michael Larkin, vice president of Commercial Services for GK9PG, discussed the initiative. 

“GK9PG’s Paws on Patrol School Safety Program is the first in the country to bring together both public and private sector agencies to address gun violence in our schools,” Larkin said.

“Our mission is all about training world-class detection dogs that offer a level of safety and security for every community, which we accomplish by advancing the art and science of detection dog capabilities with our specialized, elite dog training methodology.”

Grayson Everett is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270