DRUG-SNIFFING DOG PATROLS SCHOOL HALLWAYS

Recently another student at GFSS got busted for marijuana possession but
the routine drug dog patrols that nailed him anger some parents and civil
libertarians.

"I'll tell you what I think about this," says Murray Mollard, the executive
directive of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, "I think it is a
terrible message to youth about the random use of police agents to
essentially suspect everyone of having drugs in their possession."

Schools have an important role in drug education and this heavy-handed
practice of monthly drug-dog patrols is no way to treat young people,
according to Mollard.

"This sends the wrong message to children and is ultimately an extension of
an American mentality of the war on drugs. I'd like to see schools
engaging with students in a mature way in which they have open and frank
discussions about drugs and not an authoritarian police state."

But superintendent Denny Kemprud says there is nothing strange about random
police dog checks and they are necessary to protect students.

Despite incredulity on the part of many adults who find out that an RCMP
officer and a German shepherd routinely patrol the halls of GFSS, Kemprud
claims it is nothing new.

"We have used drug dogs as long as I've been in education," Kemprud
says. "That's 30 years."

"Absolute bunk," replies Mollard. "I was a student 20 years ago and I
never heard of it until recently."

In terms of the legality of the searches the school district has got that
covered. Even the lockers of students don't belong to them nor are they
used even in a rental-type arrangement so the infringement of privacy is
not an issue.

"Students ar told that the lockers are the property of the school
district," GFSS principal Doug Brydon says. "But usually we keep the
lockers private."

Whenever Cst. Terry Carter and canine companion Bela from the Nelson RCMP
Dog unit are in the area, Brydon says they invite him in. On Oct. 9 they
cruised the halls and Bela found something interesting in a locker. One
student was found to have some marijuana seeds and was immediately put on
indefinite suspension as per school policy. It was then up to Supt.
Kemprud whether or not the student will be expelled. The student in
question has since returned from suspension.

Despite the fact that the incident happened in the school, which is
designated a "drug-free zone," Cst. Paul Voisine said that no charges were
laid. Last year a GFSS student was caught with a minimal amount of
marijuana in a brownie and faced a conditional sentence and six months
probation in addition to the school's punishment and parental
discipline. This disturbs Mollard greatly.

"Where a student does receive criminal charges and is convicted it can
affect their life in a negative way for what might be youthful
experimentation and errors that are made," Mollard said. "This is
absolutely asinine. The RCMP has to realize that they are part of the
problem, not part of the solution. The war on drugs is an abysmal failure."

Kemprud says that the dogs come into the schools once every month or two
depending on the availability of the drug dog unit. The procedure is kept
random and they don't talk about it.

"There are too many ears and too many scanners," he says. "You have to
appreciate the public welfare of the students is paramount and it's public
property. But it's public property that we have to make sure we look after."

Mollard says he is not an apologist for drug use but rather his point is
that marijuana specifically is virtually decriminalized so should be
treated as such.

Kemprud isn't interested in that argument and says in that way it is the
same as a legal drug in the school:alcohol.

"Until such time as it is decriminalized we will keep our schools clean,"
he says, "and even after that we will keep our schools clean, simply
because of the fact that you can't ask a teacher or an administrator to be
running a school with somebody that's stoned."