EXCESSIVE POLICE FORCE AT STRATFORD

Advocates of police raids at schools in search of illegal drugs cite
the need to "send the message" that substance abuse -- and dope
dealing -- will not be tolerated on campus. No reasonable person
should oppose such a goal. But many reasonable people are loudly and
rightly opposing the excessive means employed by the Goose Creek
Police Department last week in an early-Wednesday morning drug raid on
Stratford High School.

During the raid, which ultimately resulted in no arrests, officers
drew guns, handcuffed approximately a dozen students, terrified many
others (more than 100 were in the hallway where it took place) and
infuriated many of their parents and other adults, sending the wrong
message in the ill-advised process.

Ninth Circuit Solicitor Ralph Hoisington, after consulting with
Berkeley County Sheriff Wayne DeWitt, has prudently asked the State
Law Enforcement Division to investigate possible police misconduct in
this operation. But many of those who have viewed that tape showing
those police with guns drawn and teenagers on the floor have already
seen enough.

The outpouring of public disapproval, from Goose Creek and beyond (the
tape has aired repeatedly on national networks), is clearly exhibited
in letters on this page. As one of the letter writers puts it, "Young
people will not develop a respect for law by seeing law enforcement
officials acting badly. They need to hear our leaders honestly
articulate what is right and what is wrong, even when it is the adults
who are wrong."

A day after the raid occurred, Goose Creek police Lt. Dave Aarons
defended the raid, telling our reporter that those guns were drawn as
"a matter of officer safety." He added that parents often fail to
understand police tactics.

However, Goose Creek Mayor Michael Heitzler told us that after
reviewing the tape of the raid Monday, he is "very concerned about the
whole thing" and doesn't like the idea of police pulling guns at a
school. He added, however, "I'm not going to try to second-guess the
police." He said he would wait for the results of the SLED
investigation before deciding upon any appropriate response by the
city.

One appropriate response that comes to mind would be the assurance
that Goose Creek students would not again be subjected to such an
over-the-line police raid.

As Solicitor Hoisington told our reporter: "I don't think there's
anything wrong at all with law enforcement addressing a problem in a
high school, but I have serious concerns about the need for
restraining students and drawing weapons. I don't want to send my
child to a school and find out guns are drawn on them. I certainly
don't want them hog-tied as part of a sweeping investigation."

The solicitor is obviously not alone in that opinion. Proper police
action can and should be taken to help keep drugs out of our schools.
But such police action must be taken within the bounds of reason, lest
our students learn the wrong lesson.