DOG TO SEARCH SCHOOLS

'Not A High School In North America That Doesn't Have A Drug Problem'

Hamilton police and their narcotics dog will walk the halls of city high
schools and some middle schools searching for drugs this year.

It's the first time police have been asked by Hamilton's separate and
public boards to hunt for drugs in their schools. While student drug use
doesn't appear to have increased over the past two years, it's still higher
than in the 1990s.

"There isn't a high school in North America that doesn't have a drug
problem," said Jim Wibberley, superintendent of education at the Hamilton
public board. He said any school that says it's clean is in denial.

Wibberley expects the new dog program to have an effect on student drug use.

Snickers, the police force's chocolate brown Labrador drug dog, will make
surprise visits at the request of the principal or vice-principal.

Accompanied by two police officers and a school official, it will walk the
halls and common areas to sniff for drugs.

If it stops at a locker, it is up to the school official to open it and
turn over any drugs to the police for investigation.

Police may have swept the occasional school hallway in the past, but only
as part of an investigation.

Wibberley said the new program is not a reaction to a growing problem, but
rather is "a recognition of what we deal with regularly."

Halton had a similar pilot program in the '90s and has reinstated it this year.

"There are drugs in school," said Jacki Oxley, a community and school
liaison official with the Halton public school board.

"Is it worse? Is it less? I don't think the schools know."

Halton Constable Nishan Duraiappah said: "The biggest benefit is
deterrence. If there's a belief the dog will return, obviously the presence
of drugs or weapons (in Halton's case) will decrease."

The dogs will be searching for drugs and guns in schools and outside. The
Canada Customs animals can smell ammunition, fired weapons and gunpowder
residue on clothes.

School officials in Hamilton and Halton said the dog searches are part of
their safe schools and drug awareness prevention programs.

"If you keep them safe, the students learn better," said Leta Yarema,
assistant superintendent at the Halton Catholic board. "With good
discipline, there's good learning."

The 2001 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey by the Centre for Addiction and
Mental Health found student use of illicit drugs hasn't grown sharply in
recent years. But it's still higher than in the early 1990s, particularly
for alcohol.

Hamilton deputy police chief Brian Mullan said parents and school officials
have expressed concerns about drugs in the schools. "We looked at a
multi-faceted approach (to reduce drug use) and one of them is preventive."

Mullan is awaiting a court ruling on marijuana possession charges under
three grams before starting the program in September.

In Halton, a similar project ran from 1997 to 2000, but was discontinued
for review. The 30 to 40 sweeps it conducted found only a smattering of
marijuana and hashish.