WHAT TO DO WITH THE DRUG REPORTS

Just what are Rapides Parish school officials doing with the Trace
Detection drug reports that show the presence of illegal narcotics in
their schools?

They aren't calling the cops. No local law enforcement agency has been
called to investigate the discovered drug traces, including residue of
heroin and marijuana.

"We've had very little participation in that," said metro narcotics
Cpt. Mike Villard. "I don't know of any arrests made that were based
on those reports in the school system."

Trace Detection Services used high tech devises to swab for traces of
drugs in Rapides Parish middle and high schools twice last school
year. The results were given to each school's principal.

Andy Anderson, CEO of Trace Detection Services, said the intent of the
drug trace reports is not to get students in trouble.

"We are not in the business of getting anyone arrested," Anderson
said. "We are just here to give the principals intelligence hopefully
to help somebody."

Detective Darrell Jones of the Alexandria Police Juvenile Division
said principals are not required to alert law enforcement to slight
drug traces.

Traces can be left by anyone who has touched a drug recently or who
has ingested the drug and breathed on something.

"Just a drug trace wouldn't be a reason to start an investigation," he
said. "Traces of drug use can be on the money you get back for change
at Wal-Mart.

But, he said the Trace reports could be used as intelligence in an
investigation with
more evidence.

Lt. Travis Davidson will supervise the Sheriff's new school resource
officers program that will be in place in each parish middle and high
school in the upcoming school year.

He said SRO's will not necessarily make a criminal matter out of the
Trace Detection reports.

If the drug traces indicate a certain individual has been using drugs,
he said the SRO will likely conduct an unofficial investigation.

"A trace is not hard evidence," Davidson said. "The SRO's can tap into
relationships they've built with certain students who could help them
figure out what is going on. Those personal relationships are going to
be crucial to the SRO's working."

Davidson said the SRO will need to find out if the student is on drugs
or dealing drugs.

"If the kid is a drug-user, he needs some substance abuse counseling
and maybe the family needs to know and get a drug test," Davidson
said. "But if the kid is in possession of drugs, he is likely to be
arrested."

Principals are not ignoring the Trace Detection reports.

Alexandria Senior High School Principal Joe Moreau said he's increased
surveillance in areas that showed frequent drug traces. He's also
called the police dogs out on a few lockers in the area where heroin
was found by Trace Detection technology, but the dogs found nothing
and no investigation ensued.

Brame Middle School Principal Wally Fall said he didn't change
anything in his school based on the drug reports. He thinks the
testing alone scared kids from bringing drugs to school.

Anderson said he's using the results from all the districts he serves,
including some Texas school districts, to give to the University of
North Texas for analysis.

"North Texas is keeping data on the trends. We are learning a lot from
that, like drugs of choice in certain areas and how they are getting
it on campus," Anderson explained. He said the formal overall reports
will soon be published.