COKE-SNORTIN' DOG

Excellent article by Wayne Laugesen on drug-sniffing dogs! (Re: "Hounding the
public," cover story, Jan. 17). I remember the dogs they brought through the
barracks when I was in Panama. Once one "alerted" on a piece of stale pizza
in my
trash can. For the most part, however, the dogs were less of a problem than the
druggies. The potheads still smoked, but they did so closer to nature-out
in the
jungle.

Robert J. Burkholder/Parachute, Colo.

While the drug dogs are invading their cars and private property in
the school's parking lot, we see the Ritalin truck dropping off its
cargo through the back door. So much for a drug-free America.

I personally would take my child out of any school where the
authorities tried to intimidate with intrusions like these. America
has proven that it has no boundaries regarding how it will treat its
people in the name of this phony drug war. Leave the kids alone. Get
your drug dogs out of their parking lots. Take your undercover agents
and ask them to go find some anthrax instead of trying to track down
students through deception and other tactics to further their
Nazi-like behavior and cause.

Gregory Williams/Boulder

Wayne Laugesen writes: "Most of the dogs used for sniffing operations
have noses so sensitive they will signal trouble with a locker if it
contains a jacket that has been subjected to marijuana smoke in the
air."

So it is clear that now students will be detained and questioned not
only by school officials, but quite possibly law enforcement in cases
where they have done nothing illegal. Such spurious intrusions do
nothing to foster trust with authorities, and in fact promote distrust
and disrespect for school officials as well as police. Please Just Say
No! to unwarranted invasions and searches by dogs of any kind in your
schools. It's time to teach not only our children, but also parents
and educators how respect for our Constitution will do far more for
public safety than giving into the fears promoted by the aggressive
salespeople in the growing 'dog-sniffing' industry.

Stephen Heath/Drug Policy Forum of Florida