Four K-9s and their handlers graduated from a police training course Friday, making up the state's very first gun-sniffing dogs.

The group of dogs is trained to assist police in locating firearms. Two are with state police, while there is one apiece in Hartford and Meriden.

The dogs can also find bullet casings and even guns that are submerged in water.

The K-9s will be able to go in airports, trains, malls and schools to locate guns. K-9 instructor Jon Naples says the dogs will help with getting illegal guns of the streets.

The dogs are trained to pay attention to specific odors and ignore others in order to effectively do their job.

The training has already come in handy. One of the dogs -- Mika -- found a gun that a suspect was believed to have thrown away during a chase.

"We have a special bond because we spend so much time together, and I look forward to seeing how she is in another 6 months, and then a year down the road where our relationship's at, because it's only going to get stronger as time goes by," says Meriden Officer James Decrisantis, Mika's handler.

State police plan to specifically training another group of dogs within the next year.