PERIODIC POOCH PATROL A POSITIVE PLAN

Handler And Dog Allowed To Randomly Patrol School Halls For Drugs
While Kids In Class

People named Attila historically have been bad news bears when they
come into the neighbourhood.

If you're a drug dealer or user bringing your junk to a local school,
that story hasn't changed much.

Attila Toldy and his police dog, Riff, have been given the go-ahead
to start making random rounds at Elk Island Catholic School's (EICS)
high schools within Strathcona County while kids are in class and out
of the halls. Riff's powerful nose can sniff out crack, cocaine,
psilocybin (magic mushrooms), marijuana and any other form of drug
that police want him to.

Toldy recently gave a quick demonstration to administrators at an
EICS administrators meeting on Tuesday. Inside the room were some
pads brushed with traces of crack-cocaine and mushroom dust. As Toldy
guided Riff through the confined room the dog quickly located the
drugs with a series of rapid sniffs, taking in and processing huge
quantities of air in milliseconds.

"Dr. Diachuk has been very supportive of the program," Toldy said.
"Searching for narcotics is only a small profile that Riff covers.
He's not strictly a drug dog, he can also search for evidence,
people, and provide protection against criminals as well."

With the onset of Riff's sporadic, random appearances at high schools
in the area, parents have the added assurance that police and school
officials are working together to provide the safest learning
environment possible for students.

"This supplements what we're already doing in schools through our
school resource officer program," RCMP Cpl. Darren Anderson said.
"Drug dogs in schools have been looked at for some time, but schools
had to have a set policy in place."

In addition to sniffing lockers in hallways, Riff also accompanies
Toldy to presentations to classes if a school requests them. Any
drugs found do not immediately mean a student is under arrest,
Anderson said. "If there were drugs discovered in a locker we would
allow it to be handled at a school level unless there was a
significant amount; that would call for an investigation."

While Toldy and his partner currently have the green light to make
periodic searches at EICS high schools, details are being finalized
to allow them to do the same within public high schools as well.

Both EICS board chair Tony Sykora and superintendent Chris Diachuk
both told the News that they're pleased to have the added service in
their schools.

"Although it hasn't been used extensively at this point, Riff and
Attila can be used very positively as deterrents," Sykora said.