DRUG DOGS HEADED TO LONGVIEW CAMPUSES

Dogs will sniff in Longview schools next year for drugs, alcohol and
firearms in a long-awaited decision Monday by the Longview School Board.

"This has been a long road in getting there, but good things take time,"
said Ramona Leber, director of the Cowlitz County Substance Abuse
Coalition, in affirming the board's unanimous vote.

After nearly three years of discussion --- and shelving the issue --- and
reopening the discussion, the board approved the use of
contraband-detecting dogs to sniff unoccupied classrooms, lockers and cars
parked on district property starting in fall 2005. Dogs will not search
people, according to state law.

The adopted policy, which was recommended earlier this month by a 15-member
committee, bans sniffing for medications. The board hedged the ban, though,
saying prescription medications could be added to the list in the future.

Some students told the board Monday they worried the dogs would violate
their personal privacy and wouldn't be effective anyway.

Andy Wilson, an 18-year-old senior at R.A. Long High School, said the
policy had too many "loopholes."

"Kids are really smart. If they want to get the drugs and bring them to
school, they'll just put them in the cars and park them on the street,"
Wilson said.

Lindsey Lee, a 17-year-old senior at R.A. Long agreed: "Kids are going to
do it anyways, before school or after school. Kids will always find a way
to be more sneaky," she told the board.

The purpose of the policy, however, isn't to "bust everybody," school board
member Barb Westrick said.

"We just want to get the message out that we don't want drugs in our
schools," she said.

The board's decision gives school administration a green light to begin
searching for a drug-sniffing dog company, put together regulations, inform
the community and find funding.

A full-day, monthly visit to the middle and high schools could cost about
$10,000 a year, according to the district.

The board plans to evaluate the program by compiling discipline statistics;
surveying students, parents and staff; and tracking costs, class
disruptions, accuracy and number of times the dog detects contraband,
according to the approved policy.

In the past, the district has avoided using the animals for fear of
violating constitutional rights to privacy. But last spring, it reopened
the issue after a presentation from a private company that uses
contraband-sniffing dogs.

The company told the board that using a private company, rather than law
enforcement-provided dogs, helps avoid legal pitfalls.

Board members said using drug-sniffing dogs is only one strategy in the
battle against drugs.

"We shouldn't look at this policy in a vacuum," board member Ted Thomas
said. "We should look at this as a piece of the puzzle."