DOG, HANDLER PROVE POPULAR DRAW

During their short visit to Porter Creek Secondary School, a
Medicine Hat, Alta. police officer and his canine friend have been
"swamped with kids" wanting to hang out with the chocolate Labrador
who's part of the Dogs for Drug Free Schools program in Medicine Hat.

On Wednesday night, approximately 60 parents, students, community
members and MLAs who packed the local school's cafeteria for a
public meeting were asked by Medicine Hat Police Service Sgt. Randy
Youngman to think about how well he'd get to know the students
if he was at the school full-time with four-legged sidekick Fiddler.

Youngman arrived in Whitehorse earlier this week to discuss Medicine
Hat's Dogs for Drug Free Schools program with the community.

"They fought like hell to get it in Medicine Hat," said Youngman of
the two officers who proposed the program for the community.

Youngman's visit, principal Kerry Huff pointed out, is being done on
his vacation time. The officer and dog have met with students and
teachers at the school, school council officials and territorial
cabinet ministers.

It was last April, at just eight weeks old, that Fiddler and Lilo
were introduced to two of the high schools in Medicine Hat with the
school liason officers, who work there full-time. Every day, the
dogs get up and go to work with their handlers.

"These dogs go to schools five days a week from eight in the morning
until four in the afternoon," said Youngman.

The dogs are passively trained. When they sense there are drugs in a
particular area, they will sit next to it as an indication rather
than barking or scratching.

"Just don't sit," Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell joked when he was
greeted by Fiddler as he came into the meeting last night.

Labradors were chosen for the job because of their temperament,
Youngman said. The police service also selected female Labs because
they tend to learn faster, he added. They are trained as companion dogs.

Youngman stressed the program goes beyond drug detection. It acts as
a conduit between police and students, who approach the dogs and end
up speaking and getting to know the school liason officer.

As the police get to know individual students, they might start to
realize when something is different or is bothering a particular student.

The program has also seen students at the school take ownership of
the dogs, who serve as somewhat of a mascot. In Medicine Hat,
students got to name the pups, though some suggestions like MJ and
Toker didn't make the cut.

"Of course, those were soundly rejected," Youngman said.

In the end, Fiddler was selected because the school was doing a
production of Fiddler on the Roof at the time. Lilo was named after
Lilo in the Disney movie Lilo and Stitch.

The program has also really helped special needs students at the
schools, said Youngman. Unlike people, Fiddler and Lilo don't
discriminate by labelling students. The dogs just want their bellies
rubbed, he sad.

In one particular case, a school had a special needs student who
would essentially shut down and speak to no one when he was upset.
After Fiddler arrived at the school, when the student became upset,
he wouldn't speak to anyone but would approach the dog and start petting him.

Asked if he wanted to walk the dog, he agreed. The 40 minutes it
used to take to get the student to talk about what was bothering him
are down to 15 minutes thanks to the dogs.

In Medicine Hat, the initiative became a community effort with the
Rotary and Kiwanis clubs paying for Fiddler and Lilo and a local vet
clinic covering their veterinary needs.

In starting the program, Medicine Hat used a different method than
was taken in Edmonton, where it started. In Edmonton, it is one
officer running the program at one high school, essentially on his own.

Medicine Hat made some changes to suit the community there.

If it started in Whitehorse, there would also likely be unique
circumstances that would see changes made from the Medicine Hat
program, Youngman suggested.

"There's all kinds of ways to tweak it," he said.

Medicine Hat, for example, already had full-time school liason
police officers at the schools, unlike Whitehorse.

Here, he said, it could mean starting a pilot project at one school
like Porter Creek Secondary, or possibly all three high schools,
where the school liaison officer may be the counsellor or a teacher,
he suggested.

Or maybe it could mean discussing the possibility of the RCMP taking
on a new role in the school, said Youngman.

He stressed the program is not designed to infringe on anyone's
right. Officers might pass on information to the school principal,
who can then decide how to proceed with that information.

The Supreme Court of Canada, said Youngman, has already ruled a
school principal can search lockers provided he or she has reasonable grounds.

Asked by one parent about enforcement, Youngman said the dogs are
not there as an enforcement tool. While police aren't likely to
arrest a student if it's something minor, they might not like their
parents being contacted, he pointed out.

While last night's meeting was perhaps a preliminary step, it
appears the program may be supported by at least one territorial minister.

Before Youngman's presentation, Education Minister John Edzerza said
he thinks "it's fabulous."

Edzerza, who has a granddaughter attending Porter Creek Secondary,
also told the crowd that drugs are a community issue.

"This issue is something we all have to face," he said.

Before concluding the evening, Youngman spoke to the crowd about crystal meth.

This trip to Whitehorse, when he met with government officials, was
the first time he's seen any legislative building where three
parties have come together to talk intelligently about one issue.

Huff indicated in an earlier interview that the program will likely
be discussed by the school council at its meeting in May.