ELMBROOK OKS DRUG SEARCHES BY DOGS

Brookfield -- Dogs will be allowed to sniff school locker areas and parking
lots for the scent of marijuana and other illegal drugs under a measure
approved Tuesday night by the Elmbrook School Board.

On a 5-2 vote, the School Board revised its search and seizure policy to
include drug-sniffing dogs among the district's weapons for deterring and
rooting out drugs on school grounds.

The policy revision was approved despite attempts by School Board President
Patricia Bielke and board member Steve Schwei to foil it with amendments.

"We have enough tools in the war against drugs," said Schwei, who said the
use of dogs would set an "improper tone" of mistrust in the schools. "We
don't need this heavy-handed method."

Bielke said she didn't want to approve a policy until guidelines --
formulated with input from the community -- spelled out how and when dogs
would be used.

"I don't feel this is an urgent matter," Bielke said.

But a majority of board members agreed it is time to add drug-sniffing dogs
to the district's fight to keep schools free of drugs.

Board member Jane Weston said the possibility of using dogs would send "a
strong message" about the district's lack of tolerance for drugs in
schools. Board member Catherine Benjamin said drug-sniffing canines were "a
far less intrusive means of searching lockers" than opening up and
searching through individual lockers, which already is allowed under the
policy.

Said board member Tom Grisa: "I'm all for something that's effective in
getting drugs out of our schools."

Superintendent Matthew Gibson has recommended that drug-detecting dogs not
be used before the 1999-2000 school year, which would give students,
parents, teachers and school administrators time to help set up guidelines
for using dogs.

The canine unit of the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department will conduct
the searches. The dogs are trained to detect cocaine, crack cocaine,
heroin, marijuana and hashish.

Under a tentative scenario offered by Gibson, dogs would be used only at
the district's two high schools and an alternative high school program. The
alternative program, for students deemed at risk of dropping out of
traditional high schools, operates in the former school that houses the
district's central administration offices. The program includes 27 students.

The drug-sniffing dog policy, similar to those that state officials say are
being used increasingly in districts throughout Wisconsin, has the backing
of the police chiefs in Brookfield and Elm Grove. Both Brookfield Police
Chief Robert Jacobs and Elm Grove Police Chief Jeffrey Haig were among the
approximately 40 people in attendance at Tuesday's meeting.

Two residents spoke against the proposal. Ted Schaar, who has children
attending school in the district, said the policy would "fan the flames of
the drug hysteria."

"This is a very poor way to treat our kids," Schaar said.

Mike Schmitz, a former member of the Elmbrook School Board, said the use of
dogs "serves to create an atmosphere of mistrust."

In a memo given to the School Board before Tuesday's meeting, Gibson
compared drug-sniffing dogs in schools to radar on highways.

"Speeding is illegal yet fairly common and the threat of radar maintains
some degree of additional safety for those who choose to, or don't choose
to speed," Gibson wrote. "Similarly, the availability of drugs in the high
schools is illegal yet fairly common and the threat of being periodically
detected maintains some degree of additional safety for those who chose to,
or don't choose to have illegal drugs on school property."

Tentative guidelines suggested by Gibson for use of the dogs would allow
the animals to be brought in during school or non-school hours to sniff for
drugs in lockers or vehicles.

If a locker is identified by the dogs as possibly containing drugs, the
number of the locker would be turned over to the principal, who would
conduct a search. If a vehicle attracts a drug-sniffing dog's attention,
the license number of the vehicle would be turned over to the principal,
and a search would follow. In both cases, the dogs and handler would not be
present for the search by school officials.

Last week, the School Board briefly expelled a 17-year-old boy who admitted
having marijuana at Central High School.

Two other 17-year-old boys alleged to be sellers of the drug denied having
brought it there.