Pubdate: Wed, 21 Nov 2001
Source: Bucks County Courier Times (PA)
Copyright: 2001 Calkins Newspapers. Inc.
Contact: http://www.phillyburbs.com/feedback/content_cti.shtml
Website: http://www.phillyburbs.com/couriertimes/index.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1026
Author: John Mack
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

SCHOOLS PLAGUED LESS BY DRUGS AND MORE OFTEN BY THIEVES

Drug Users Support Their Habit By Resorting To Theft, Which Makes The Two 
Crimes Intimately Connected.

Regarding the article in the Nov. 8 Courier Times, "Dog trains its nose for 
schools' anti-drug work": It's gratifying to know that schools are taking a 
proactive stance against drugs. However, our schools are plagued by another 
problem that reflects the economic impact of drug use on the community - theft.

Drug users support their habit by resorting to theft, which makes the two 
crimes intimately connected. That makes it all the more surprising that our 
schools virtually ignore the theft of student property on their premises.

If you catch a thief, you may also catch a drug user. If you ignore the 
crime of theft, you are ignoring an important method for dealing with drug 
abuse.

To illustrate the point, what parent hasn't been dismayed to learn from 
their child that his or her new calculator or designer jacket has been 
stolen and not even so much as a whisper was heard from the school in response?

It is my experience that schools take virtually no action and blame the 
victim, whom they admonish for not having locked the locker or not having 
been more careful with personal property.

Wake up! You have predators walking the halls preying upon our children and 
most likely these predators are supporting a drug habit!

I would contrast this to a situation involving the theft of teachers' 
property. The incident occurred last year in a Council Rock school, where a 
teacher left her keys in a lock on her classroom door. They disappeared.

There was an immediate response by the school with a virtual "lockdown" and 
investigation involving interviews with numerous students, some of whom 
were chastised for not informing on their classmates who knew of the theft 
and who were themselves threatened with expulsion.

The article on dogs indicated that though such methods may not be effective 
in stopping the use of drugs in and around the schools, it was of important 
"psychological value."

I would suggest that schools also implement anti-theft campaigns that have 
at least psychological value instead of being absolutely silent on the 
issue (they do not notify the parents or make any sort of announcement or 
effort to recover stolen property).

And since theft and drugs are connected, I would think it is very important 
to attack the drug problem by also being very proactive when it comes to theft.

I would also like to see the Courier Times do some investigative reporting 
on the problem of theft at our schools and its link to drugs.

For example, I heard of a recent ring of calculator thieves selling their 
stolen property at a Council Rock school, but I haven't seen any public 
awareness of this in the local media.

John Mack, Newtown
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager