'DOLLAR' TO DO DRUG CHECKS AT MERCER ISLAND HIGH SCHOOL

MERCER ISLAND -- A drug-sniffing dog has been assigned to the Mercer Island
High School parking lot where he'll search for whiffs of illegal narcotics
in students' cars.

Principal Paul Highsmith said he hasn't had to discipline any students for
the sale or distribution of drugs on campus, but it's not uncommon to hear
talk about drug use among students, or that students are getting drugs at
school.

Highsmith said what he hears "is that drugs are readily available at
school. They're very good at concealing them."

Since there is a demonstrated need, he added, it seems reasonable for the
administration to do what it can to try to discourage any drug use or
possession at school.

Enter "Dollar," a specially trained dog who will make random and
unannounced visits to the Mercer Island High School parking lot. According
to police officer Scott Schroeder, the black Labrador retriever can detect
any type of drug short of a prescription drug. Dollar can sniff a doorknob
and detect whether a heavy-drug user has touched it, he said.

Dollar belongs to the Eastside Narcotics Task Force, a collection of local
police officers investigating drug offenses.

Dollar's searches will be limited to the parking lot because that can be
done without disrupting the school day, Highsmith said. Locker searches
wouldn't likely be fruitful because there are only about 300 lockers at the
school, and most students carry their school bags and belongings with them,
he added.

A statewide survey last year by the Office of Superintendent of Public
Instruction showed that the amount of drug use by seniors at Mercer Island
High was significantly higher than the state average. And 51 percent of
those seniors surveyed said they had used an illegal drug, including
marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines or Ecstasy.

"If having a dog come into our parking lot helps create a deterrent to kids
bringing drugs to school, I'm in favor of it," Highsmith said. If a student
is caught selling or distributing drugs on campus, the consequence is
immediate expulsion, Highsmith said.

It's not uncommon for high schools to use police dogs, Public Safety
Department Director Jan Deveny said. Prior searches inside the school
didn't yield much, he added. Nonetheless, even searches that come up empty
serve a purpose.

"It's sending a message that we're paying attention," Deveny said.