POLICE DESCEND ON SCHOOL FOR DRUG SWEEP

WESTERLY - A pack of police dogs took to the hallways of the high school
this morning in a surprise attempt to find drugs on school grounds. The
search netted one arrest of a student, who had a "small amount" of
marijuana in his or her car, said police Chief Edward A. Mello.

Mello said only top school administrators, himself and K-9 officers knew
about the drug search before it began at 7:50 a.m. It had been planned for
several weeks, he said.

Students were kept in their first-period classrooms while nine police dogs
and eight K-9 officers - from Westerly, Narragansett and Rhode Island
Airport police departments, as well as the R.I. Department of Corrections -
swept the halls and checked lockers for drugs, explained Mello, standing
outside the school during the search.

Mello said the search teams found no drugs during a 20-minute search inside
the building, though, but the marijuana was found in a student's car during
a subsequent search of the parking lot.

Mello said the student would be charged. State law prohibits police from
identifying arrested individuals under the age of 18.

There was a din of barks and yelps on Ward Avenue at 8:25 a.m. as dog and
officer tandems made their way around student and faculty vehicles parked
on school grounds.

Though no drugs were found or arrests made during a similar search last
spring at the High School, Mello said, police have made periodic drug
arrests there during the school year.

Acting Superintendent Sylvia Blanda said this morning that classes
continued as normal during the search, and police would vacate the building
before the end of first period.

Blanda said that the drug searches are part of the school department's goal
of ensuring students' safety.