Midland ISD Maintains K-9 Unit for School Safety

The district continues to utilize trained Belgian Malinois to conduct safety sweeps across secondary school campuses.

Updated on Oct. 30, 2026 in Dogs

Gouache-painted illustration of a quiet, empty school hallway with warm, soft lighting, reflecting the district's proactive campus safety strategy. — Midland ISD continues to utilize a K-9 unit consisting of trained Belgian Malinois to provide proactive security sweeps across local school campuses. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Midland ISD Police Department continues to deploy a K-9 unit consisting of two Belgian Malinois, Maui and Bo, to patrol school campuses. The unit remains active in conducting safety sweeps of hallways and classrooms to help ensure the security of local students and staff.

Why it matters

Maintaining a specialized K-9 unit is part of the district's ongoing strategy to provide a secure learning environment for families. Following the retirement of K-9 Voelke, the department is actively managing the transition of its K-9 personnel.

The K-9 unit currently features two Belgian Malinois dogs that undergo intensive obedience training twice a week. This follows the service period of K-9 Voelke, who began working in secondary schools in October 2023 before recently retiring.

The players

Midland ISD Police Department

A law enforcement agency responsible for the safety and security of students, staff, and campus facilities within the district.

Shelby Davis

An officer within the Midland ISD Police Department who is scheduled to be paired with a new K-9 partner.

The details

The K-9 unit functions as a proactive safety measure, conducting sweeps of school hallways and classrooms when requested by district administration. To maintain readiness, Maui and Bo participate in intensive obedience training sessions twice weekly to ensure they can effectively navigate campus environments. Officer Shelby Davis is set to continue the department's K-9 program by partnering with a new dog to support ongoing security efforts.

K-9 Voelke began serving secondary schools in October 2023.
The status of the K-9 unit was reported on October 30, 2026.

The Home Front

School districts across the country increasingly utilize K-9 units as a standard component of institutional safety and threat detection policies. Midland ISD remains in line with these common protocols by continuing to prioritize active campus patrols and regular canine training.

Parents can expect to see these trained K-9s during safety sweeps on local secondary school campuses throughout the academic year. If you have questions about specific safety measures at your child's school, contact the administration office for official information.

The takeaway

The Midland ISD Police Department remains committed to maintaining a visible safety presence on campuses with its current K-9 team. Families should note that the training frequency for these dogs occurs twice a week to keep the unit ready for school-wide security requests.