SCHOOL BOARD OKS DRUG DOG PURCHASE

A drug-sniffing dog was purchased Thursday for $5,300 by the St. Mary
Parish School Board to replace its predecessor, which recently died.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff's Department Deputy Melissa Lee, who serves as
school system liaison, appealed to the board for funding to purchase the
animal.

In addition to finding drugs, the dog also is used to perform random
searches for weapons or other illegal items.

Lee said the dog, which was loaned to the school system by the Patterson
Police Department, was valuable in confiscating the contraband.

She said the PPD made the dog available whenever needed to conduct random
searches. Dogs owned by police departments in Morgan City and Franklin were
not as accessible, she said.

The $5,300 cost will buy a dog fully trained to perform a variety of
searches within the schools.

The dog will be housed and fed by the Patterson Police Department's K-9
patrolman, Lee said.

A motion to purchase the dog passed without opposition at the monthly board
meeting.