NOSE FOR NARCOTICS LANDS DOG A JOB
IN LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS

Ebony, a drug-sniffing canine with a nose for narcotics, will soon be
working the hallway beat in local public high schools.

On Monday, Edmonton Public Schools, in cooperation with the Edmonton Police
Service, approved a passive drug dog pilot project in an effort to deter
students from bringing drugs into schools.

Ebony, a one-year-old black lab, has been working at Harry Ainlay high
school for the past eight months, along side school resource officer Const.
Doug Green.

While Ebony is trained to sniff out drugs like marijuana and crystal meth,
she's used more for education than enforcement, says Green, who developed
the Dogs for Drug Free Schools program with Harry Ainlay principal Mark
Liguori.

The most important goal of the program is to educate students about the
risks of drug use, he says.

"Without education, then it just strictly becomes enforcement, and we can
already tell you what the response to enforcement is. It doesn't work,"
says Green.

Since Ebony joined Green, there has been a significant decrease in the
number of drug-related incidents at the school even though he hasn't
actually done any drug searches with the dog, says Green.

"I have not had to use this dog to search within the school, because it's
not necessary. Everyone is aware she is here," says Green. "The kids aren't
prepared to take the chance."

Liguori says the drug dog program is a proactive way to fight drugs in schools.

"We know that we have students who use drugs. We know that we have students
that will deal in illegal drugs, and individuals that will come to schools
specifically for that purpose. It's a significant deterrent," says Liguori.

Ebony hasn't been used to sniff lockers or backpacks, he says.

But students are aware Ebony might sniff them out if they bring drugs to
school.

"It's just another tool that we have to make students aware that we are
serious about protecting them from illegal drugs," says Liguori.

With Ebony by his side -- "she's the star of the show" -- Green has talked
to around 9,000 students in both the public and Catholic school districts
over the last three months about the dangers of drugs.

Some kids might be bored when he talks, but when Ebony demonstrates her
skills it catches their attention.

"I always put out eight or nine things on the floor and have her go by and
search them. When she finds drugs or the odor of drugs she sits. All of a
sudden you start to see the (students') eyeballs get bigger," says Green.

Ebony has also helped make him more approachable to students, adds Green.

"Dogs break down barriers, especially between the police and kids," says Green.

Lisa Austin, Edmonton Public Schools spokesperson, says Ebony and Green
will be available to visit district high schools on the request of principals.

"There was some interest on the part of other high school principals to
have the dog come and visit the schools and certainly parents supported
this too," says Austin.

"The goal is to act as an educational opportunity for kids to understand
better the risks associated with not just drug use, but possession, and to
deter drugs from coming onto school grounds."

If a search takes place and drugs are found, it will be up to the principal
to decide whether to lodge a formal complaint with police.

The Catholic school district signed a similar agreement with the police in
November.