NEW ANTI-DRUG PROGRAM UNLEASHED IN SCHOOLS

Drug-sniffing dogs are leading the fight against illegal narcotics
in high-school hallways throughout Cambria County.

Called an "Ounce of Prevention," a new program unveiled by
law-enforcement authorities allows school administrators to learn
which lockers are believed to contain drugs.

"The goal is to let parents know that the criminal-justice system is
trying to help children, and not trying to arrest them and give them
black marks on their record," District Attorney Patrick Kiniry said Monday.

"The school is in lockdown while the dogs do the search. If there is
a 'hit,' the administrator writes down the number, and then we bring
a second dog to see if there is a hit again. The police then leave
the school with the dogs, and it's up to the school administrator
to decide what to do."

Typically, Kiniry said, the administrator, accompanied by the
student, searches the locker and then talks to the student and
parent about what is found. It is up to the school whether a student
would be prosecuted if illegal drugs are found.

It is one of two new drug-prevention programs set up by the District
Attorney's office and President Judge Gerard Long.

The other is designed to teach ninth-graders about how getting into
trouble with the law not only can result in a criminal record, but
also the loss of their driver's license.

The county has two other drug prevention programs:

The annual summer youth fairs, aimed at youngsters of all ages. The
fairs are held at community playgrounds and parks and include
appearances by drug dogs and police officers along with games,
prizes and food.

Educational programs in sixth-grade classes that include a short
talk by a young woman who was a heroin addict.

The cost of the programs is paid by court fees imposed on defendants
and by forfeitures of drug money.

The new programs reflect authorities' concerns about the increase in
drug cases and crime in general -- from burglaries to shoplifting --
that can be traced to drug addicts, the district attorney said.

An estimated 18 percent to 20 percent of the adult caseload of 3,400
last year is related to drugs, Kiniry said.

All 12 public high schools in Cambria County as well as the two
Catholic high schools have agreed to participate in the dog-search program.

Searches already have been done at several of the schools since the
initiative started in February, Kiniry said.

In some, there have been "hits," while in others officials said the
dogs failed to detect any drugs.

"We will be back," Kiniry warned.

Jules Dill, a retired Central Cambria High School principal who is
the part-time coordinator for the program, said that a few schools,
on their own initiative, had the searches done in the past

"It does deter kids from bringing the drugs into the school," he said.

But he quickly added, "I'm not saying (drugs) may not be in
backpacks and cars. Kids are not dumb. There may be policies in the
future where we can check them (backpacks and cars)."

In the ninth-grade program, Assistant District Attorney Kelly
Callihan alerts the students that drug offenses and arrests for
drunken driving, underage drinking and crimes committed on school
property can result in the loss of a driver's permit or license.

Noting that ninth-graders typically are not of driving age, Callihan
said, "We try to get to them before they apply for a permit, to
raise their awareness. We get really positive feedback from the kids
who say that they didn't know all of this."

Callihan is accompanied by Dan Springer of Ebensburg, whose life was
changed forever when he smashed his car into a tree on May 11, 1991.
His massive injuries left him partially paralyzed on his left side
and led to the loss of a good-paying job that he can no longer perform.