DRUG DOGS ON A LEASH?

A ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada is causing some Red Deer-area
school districts to re-examine their policies on the use of
drug-sniffing dogs.

The country's top court ruled Friday that random searches by sniffer
dogs are unlawful, based on two cases the court reviewed.

"We'll obviously be getting legal advice to see how this ruling
effects our policies," Red Deer Catholic Regional Division
superintendent Paulette Hanna said following the announcement.

Since 2003, the division has given principals the power to call in
privately trained drug-sniffing dogs to spontaneously search middle
schools and high schools for drugs.

Hanna said she believes schools have a responsibility to do all they
can to keep students safe.

"What it comes down to is keeping our schools safe and drug-free,"
said Hanna. "These dogs were a part of doing that."

It's been at least two years since a dog has been called into a
school, she said.

The court ruling may affect the division's plans to hire an
RCMP-trained dog to passively sniff around schools.

Officials had originally wanted to hire the pooch starting September
2007 but plans were put on hold pending the court's decision.

"We knew the court would be coming down with a ruling soon, so we
wanted to wait before we moved forward," said associate superintendent
Paul Stewart.

"For us this dog would be more of a deterrent than it would be about
laying charges," he said. "It's about letting students know it's
around so they won't be tempted."

Chinook's Edge School Division will also be reviewing its policy on
using the dogs, although superintendent Jim Gibbons said Friday he
doesn't expect the policy to change.

"The dogs for us are about enforcing school policies, they're not
criminal searches," he said. "We're not charging people with breaking
the law, they're breaking school policy."

The punishment for students caught with drugs can include suspension
or expulsion, Gibbons said.

School officials also have the option of calling in the RCMP when
drugs are found.

"We always want to work along side the RCMP so that is something we
will have to consider moving forward," Gibbons said.

The Red Deer Public School District decided not to allow these kind of
searches.

"Our view is that it would be a violation of our student's privacy to
do something like that," said school board chair Bill Stuebing.

In 2007 the district was given the option to start using dogs but
decided against it.

"We consulted with our lawyers and they advised us against it,"
Stuebing said.

A criminologist who teaches at Red Deer College, Stuebing said he
believes officials need to have sufficient evidence before they go
searching for drugs.

"You've got to have some evidence and you've got to have a specific
target. You can't just go fishing," he said.