POLICE DOG DOESN'T GET A SNIFF AT PCSS

There were smiles all around as principal Sharon Popoff thanked RCMP
members for their visit to Prince Charles Secondary School on Feb.
15. Several police officers and a dog trained to sniff out illegal
drugs conducted a scent-only search of school lockers, finding no
evidence of illicit contents.

"It's something parents are always asking for," Popoff said on
Friday. "The parent advisory committee has requested the searches but
it isn't always easy to get the dog and his handler over to Creston.

"I was pleased," Popoff said of the dog's failure to sniff out even a
hint of drugs such as marijuana. "I had expected the dog would find something."

Popoff explained the police had been invited to conduct the search
and a handler and dog arrived in Creston from Cranbrook , giving the
school only a few hours' notice.

"They have to be here at our request unless there is a criminal
issue," she said.

"We were very conscious of safety," Cpl. Rob Knapton said on Monday.
"The search was conducted while classes were in session so that
students weren't in the hallways."

Knapton said the police were as delighted with the search results as
the school's principal.

"Students often have a negative perception with the public -- this is
a positive story," he said.

The search, Knapton added, was "part of our commitment to ensure our
schools are safe. It's part of our strategy to ensure we have safe
homes and safe communities."

Popoff said the search wasn't a first, but that it hadn't been done
"more than two or three times in my time here. There is no dog
handler locally."

Safety is the key issue for school administration, she explained.

"I want kids who aren't (drug) users to come to school and feel safe.
We'll continue to pursue this and other strategies with the police," she said.

"We have a lot of positive things happening in our school. The
results of this search is just one of them."