DRUG-SNIFFING DOGS ARE VISIBLE EFFORT TO KEEP SCHOOLS
CLEAN

In An Effort To Deter Students From Bringing Illegal Drugs To School,
Several West-Metro High Schools Have Been Working With A Company That
Provides Drug-Sniffing Dogs

Whether it is Charlie sniffing his way past rows of hallway lockers,
Andie checking out cars on the street or Tosca canvassing the parking
lots, the dogs of Metro Canine Detection Services all work in the
spirit of drug prevention.

John Roux's Eagan-based company provides dog searches aimed at
detecting and deterring illegal narcotics at businesses, private
homes and schools. He currently conducts searches at 15 metro-area
schools, including St. Louis Park, Benilde-St. Margaret's and
Mound-Westonka high schools.

While school administrators said it's impossible to keep every
student from using drugs, they are committed to keeping drugs off
campus.

"We want to create a culture where kids can be supported to be
chemically free," said Jeff Ferguson, associate dean of students at
Totino-Grace. "We know we're not going to bat a thousand, but we're
making a dent."

A former counselor at a treatment center, Roux coupled that
experience with his knowledge of training hunting dogs to form his
company in 2002.

His three Belgian Malinois can detect the scent of cocaine, heroin,
methamphetamine and marijuana. In addition, females Andie and Tosca
can detect gunpowder. All three dogs receive weekly maintenance
training and annual certification by a training school in Texas.

Roux's random monthly or bimonthly searches can include parking lots,
streets near the school where students park their cars, classrooms,
hallway lockers, locker rooms and bathrooms. He has conducted some
in-school demonstrations and allowed students to meet the dogs. He
does not want students feeling threatened by the dogs' presence.

"When I'm in the hallways, a lot of times kids come up and say hi to
the dog," he said. "I was in the parking lot working last winter and
someone came up and thanked me for helping keep the school safe. It's
very rewarding."

When his dogs detect the scent of drugs or gunpowder, they signal by
sitting down. Roux leaves the process of searching lockers or cars to
school administrators. Marijuana is the drug most often found, though
methamphetamine has been found three times and a residual amount of
cocaine was found once. Administrators at Brooklyn Center, North St.
Paul, Totino-Grace and White Bear Area Learning Center said only
marijuana has been found at their schools.

Gunpowder has been detected in vehicles, but guns were never found.
In two cases, the dogs picked up a scent left by hunting rifles. The
students had used their vehicles on recent hunting trips with their
fathers.

Administrators said they initiated contact with Metro Canine
Detection Services to be proactive rather than reactive. They said
the dogs have been an effective deterrent to students bringing drugs
on campus, though it is difficult to quantify the effect.

Feedback from student evaluations at Totino-Grace reflect a generally
positive attitude about the program.

Kirsten Dawson, the Chemical Health Counselor at Totino-Grace and
Cretin-Derham Hall, said incidents where students report other
students for coming to school high have declined.

"How we present our campuses to young kids is a concern," she said.
"We don't want their first exposure to drugs to be in the bathroom at
our schools."