POLICE PROGRAM HAS POTENTIAL

There is merit to a school district plan to allow police to patrol schools
in hopes of lowering drug use among students, but it has to be handled
properly.

The most important aspect of the program will be choosing the officers who
work the schools. This is an opportunity for the RCMP to develop a solid
relationship with teenagers rather than one of disrespect and intimidation.

A police officer who goes into the schools with law enforcement mainly on
his or her mind will create an atmosphere of anger and fear among students.
The right kind of personality will make inroads into convincing students
that the RCMP are in a community to serve and assist people more than they
are there to arrest them.

Students will immediately assume a police officer on their territory is
there to make trouble. A relationship of trust has to be developed. That
will only happen if the police officer chosen for the school patrols
sincerely enjoys working with young people and understands their decisions
are not always those a mature adult would make.

School trustees are looking for ways to cope with the drug problem in
schools through the Mountie patrol program. They voted Monday to put the
program into place in several pilot schools. The concept includes school
safety and anti-bullying programs and improving communication between the
RCMP and school district.

Classroom-type presentations will work in the elementary schools, but at
the secondary level, an officer with the right personality will have a more
positive impact just interacting informally with students. Problems such as
pre-arranged fights will be easily solved if a police officer casually
arrives on the scene. Students who know about potentially dangerous
situations won't be shy about telling a peace officer who has become a
familiar and trusted figure in the school.

An officer who prefers control and bluster over a friendly smile might as
well stay in the detachment for all the impact he or she will have in a
school. Other than the occasional, unproductive arrest for drug
trafficking, the benefits the school district should be hoping come from
this program won't happen.

The school board has set conditions for the program, including enforcement
only in specific situations. Officers will be told only to arrest
non-students engaged in trafficking or repeat offenders.

Whether that is a reasonable expectation won't be known until after the
patrols are launched. It may be difficult for people trained in law
enforcement to issue only warnings if blatant drug trafficking is happening
before their eyes.

What is encouraging about the program is the RCMP's willingness to invest
in youth despite a belief that their manpower resources are already
severely tapped. Preventing crime in schools is a worthwhile expenditure of
police effort.