BLEACHED HAIR, EARRINGS WERE LAWMAN'S UNIFORM

TEXARKANA - John Swagg didn't stand out much when he began attending
Arkansas High School in August.

Sure, the senior had bleached-blond hair and he wore earrings. But such
mild fashion rebellions hardly warranted much attention. As a matter of
fact, Swagg's appearance helped him blend in.

And that's just what the undercover police officer wanted.

It only took three days for Swagg - whose real name is John VanMeter, a
student himself at the police academy in Camden - to learn which students
were selling marijuana at the school. It was easy, he says. He just listened.

"I [heard] a kid brag about his gold watch and jewelry and how much money
he had ... I knew the terminology he was using, and I asked if he could
hook me up ... he said, 'Any time.'"

VanMeter, 23, spent a semester as an 18-year-old senior at Arkansas High.
He bought marijuana, cocaine and a gun during his time as a student. Such
activities led to a Jan. 11 drug sweep when about 25 people were arrested,
including eight students.

Parents had been fretting about Arkansas High School for some time. Talk
occurred of gang activity and drugs, but no one was sure just how bad
things were. Police said the undercover operation was the best way to find
out.

"If you don't assess something, you don't know what you have," Lt. Mark Lewis.

Discussions about the operation began in June, and only Superintendent
Jerry Moody and a couple of principals knew of the covert operation. Most
police officers were kept in the dark as well.

Despite the arrests the news was mostly good to school officials. According
to VanMeter, no signs existed of organized gang activity or threats of
violence. Drugs, though, could be found.

Each of those arrested faces at least one felony charge related to illegal
drugs. None of the eight students charged has been expelled.

"This says a lot for the kids of Arkansas High," he said. "Less than 1
percent were arrested. That means 99 percent of our students are law-biding."

The more VanMeter listened, he says, the more he learned about high school
life.

"I just sat back and talked to [students] about their weekends and their
parties," he said. "I just tried to fit in. I cut up with them. It was a
lot of listening and watching and making conversation."

The Police Department got a lot of advice from police in Plano, Texas, who
had conducted a successful undercover high school investigation. Such
advice included giving "John Swagg" a past.

Swagg had transferred from Plano. He told the students at Arkansas High
that he had been expelled for using steroids. The steroid excuse helped
explain the muscles he had picked up at the police academy.

"He looked like a big kid," Moody said. "He had a youthful appearance, so
the kids believed him. I'm sure he was attractive to our football coach."

VanMeter had to earn the students' trust but keep them at a distance. "I
had to switch my personality and get into work mode. I couldn't let myself
be friends with these kids."

VanMeter told students he was living with an uncle who drove a truck and
was rarely home. He never told anybody where he lived, but some of his new
friends found out and visited the apartment building. They would bang on
the doors looking for him. Girls from school saw him on his way to do
laundry and invited him out.

"Some things were absolutely forbidden for John," Lewis said. "He was not
allowed to have any physical contact with females, and no minors were
allowed in the apartment."

VanMeter tried to keep a low profile, and he didn't join student
organizations. He did his homework, though, at least for the first nine
weeks of school. But his grades were too good, so he slacked off.

"I wanted to make a minimal impact. I was not supposed to be an honors
student," VanMeter said.

Moody said, "It wouldn't have been good for a student looking for drugs to
get straight A's."

VanMeter laughs now when he talks about the grades he received for his
second and final nine weeks of school. "I didn't pay attention and the
grades reflected that ... the teachers thought I was a little punk, a
typical troublemaker."

Several high school students bragged that they knew VanMeter was an
undercover policeman. Of course, those boasts came after the arrests.
Though he may have been suspicious to some students, VanMeter "made himself
very visible, and he was known to be looking for drugs," Moody said.

The sting hasn't turned students against new students at the school, Moody
said. But "those who may be inclined to getting into trouble may think a
little more about it," Moody said.

For VanMeter, his second life as a high school student is over. The bleach
has been washed from his hair, and the earrings are gone. He is back at the
academy in Camden. He plans to continue his career with the Texarkana
Police Department when he graduates.

Information for this article was contributed by Ken Heard and Todd Stone of
the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.