BLEACHED HAIR, EARRINGS WERE LAWMAN'S UNIFORM TEXARKANA - John Swagg didn't stand out much when he began attending Arkansas High School in August. Sure, the senior had bleached-blond hair and he wore earrings. But such mild fashion rebellions hardly warranted much attention. As a matter of fact, Swagg's appearance helped him blend in. And that's just what the undercover police officer wanted. It only took three days for Swagg - whose real name is John VanMeter, a student himself at the police academy in Camden - to learn which students were selling marijuana at the school. It was easy, he says. He just listened. "I [heard] a kid brag about his gold watch and jewelry and how much money he had ... I knew the terminology he was using, and I asked if he could hook me up ... he said, 'Any time.'" VanMeter, 23, spent a semester as an 18-year-old senior at Arkansas High. He bought marijuana, cocaine and a gun during his time as a student. Such activities led to a Jan. 11 drug sweep when about 25 people were arrested, including eight students. Parents had been fretting about Arkansas High School for some time. Talk occurred of gang activity and drugs, but no one was sure just how bad things were. Police said the undercover operation was the best way to find out. "If you don't assess something, you don't know what you have," Lt. Mark Lewis. Discussions about the operation began in June, and only Superintendent Jerry Moody and a couple of principals knew of the covert operation. Most police officers were kept in the dark as well. Despite the arrests the news was mostly good to school officials. According to VanMeter, no signs existed of organized gang activity or threats of violence. Drugs, though, could be found. Each of those arrested faces at least one felony charge related to illegal drugs. None of the eight students charged has been expelled. "This says a lot for the kids of Arkansas High," he said. "Less than 1 percent were arrested. That means 99 percent of our students are law-biding." The more VanMeter listened, he says, the more he learned about high school life. "I just sat back and talked to [students] about their weekends and their parties," he said. "I just tried to fit in. I cut up with them. It was a lot of listening and watching and making conversation." The Police Department got a lot of advice from police in Plano, Texas, who had conducted a successful undercover high school investigation. Such advice included giving "John Swagg" a past. Swagg had transferred from Plano. He told the students at Arkansas High that he had been expelled for using steroids. The steroid excuse helped explain the muscles he had picked up at the police academy. "He looked like a big kid," Moody said. "He had a youthful appearance, so the kids believed him. I'm sure he was attractive to our football coach." VanMeter had to earn the students' trust but keep them at a distance. "I had to switch my personality and get into work mode. I couldn't let myself be friends with these kids." VanMeter told students he was living with an uncle who drove a truck and was rarely home. He never told anybody where he lived, but some of his new friends found out and visited the apartment building. They would bang on the doors looking for him. Girls from school saw him on his way to do laundry and invited him out. "Some things were absolutely forbidden for John," Lewis said. "He was not allowed to have any physical contact with females, and no minors were allowed in the apartment." VanMeter tried to keep a low profile, and he didn't join student organizations. He did his homework, though, at least for the first nine weeks of school. But his grades were too good, so he slacked off. "I wanted to make a minimal impact. I was not supposed to be an honors student," VanMeter said. Moody said, "It wouldn't have been good for a student looking for drugs to get straight A's." VanMeter laughs now when he talks about the grades he received for his second and final nine weeks of school. "I didn't pay attention and the grades reflected that ... the teachers thought I was a little punk, a typical troublemaker." Several high school students bragged that they knew VanMeter was an undercover policeman. Of course, those boasts came after the arrests. Though he may have been suspicious to some students, VanMeter "made himself very visible, and he was known to be looking for drugs," Moody said. The sting hasn't turned students against new students at the school, Moody said. But "those who may be inclined to getting into trouble may think a little more about it," Moody said. For VanMeter, his second life as a high school student is over. The bleach has been washed from his hair, and the earrings are gone. He is back at the academy in Camden. He plans to continue his career with the Texarkana Police Department when he graduates. Information for this article was contributed by Ken Heard and Todd Stone of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
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