Pubdate: Thu, 09 May 2002
Source: Tahoe World (CA)
Contact:  2002 Tahoe World
Website: http://www.tahoe-world.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/528
Author: Melissa Vinitsky, Tahoe World 
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education)

DRUG DOG ARRIVES AT TAHOE SCHOOLS

Lately, everywhere Officer Dan Ingalls walks in North Tahoe High School and
Middle School, a crowd of teachers and students seem to follow.

Heads turn as he passes a classroom, and exclamations of, "How cute!" can be
heard down the hallways. While Ingalls may appear as the Pied Piper of
Tahoe, he knows better. The attention is not on him, but on his new partner
- -- a 2-and-a-half year old male chocolate lab, the schools' new narcotics
canine.

The idea for a drug dog came from Ingalls, the schools' resource officer for
the past three years. Besides having an interest in becoming a canine
handler, Ingalls saw the dog as a solution to the problems incurred by the
schools' remote location.

"Tahoe is removed from the larger pool of resources in Auburn," he said. "If
we do drug searches, we have to coordinate with officers in Auburn. That
puts us at a disadvantage."

Ingalls also saw a narcotics canine as a deterrent to on-campus drug use.

"If our goal as a community is to create an oasis of academic achievement,
then we should take all the steps we can to do that. Having a dog is a no
brainer to me."

School administrators agree. While they say North Tahoe schools do not have
a drug problem, having a dog present is the best way to prevent one from
occurring.

"I do feel the dog will be one of great benefit to the school. It is more
preventive," said Ed Turner, the high school's Vice Principal. "We want a
zero tolerance policy."

A drug dog will also enable school officials to weed out the few students
who are bringing drugs to school.

"We only have one to two instances a year," said middle school Principal
Dave Curry. "The dog will allow us to identify students where we missed
something in their past behavior, and hold them accountable."

Ingalls' search for a suitable dog was not easy. Due to the aftermath of
September 11th, there was a shortage of narcotics canines since the majority
of police dogs were being trained for bomb detection. On top of that, the
price for police dogs had skyrocketed to $10,000.

While Ingalls considered using one of the local avalanche dogs, he was told
by dog trainers that labs, specifically those from a hunting line, make the
best drug dogs since they use similar skills.

After reviewing dogs from all across the nation for one year, Ingalls found
Lincoln, a lab from a strong line of hunting trial dogs, three months ago.
Originally from San Diego, Ingalls came by way of the Placer County canine
trainer in Auburn and arrived on campus April 26. Lincoln cost $3,000 and
will need an additional $4,500 in maintenance training.

The funding for Lincoln, which was made possible by the Tahoe City Rotary
Club and Kiwanis Club, marks a historical first.

"This is the first time in the nation where a community has come together
and bought a dog for a school," said Doug Peterson, a member of the Kiwanis
Club. Both clubs have pledged $3,000 for the program. Daily care for Lincoln
is provided by Ingalls, who brings him home each night.

Lincoln, who is trained to sniff out drugs by a series of hand and voice
commands, is not yet fully certified. Since Lincoln and Ingalls work so
closely together, they must undergo at least six more weeks of training
before being certified as a team by the state of California. In addition,
the pair will be required to travel to different locations in California and
Nevada once a month for maintenance training.

Ingalls and Lincoln's work will not be limited to the North Tahoe schools.
As the only canine team on the California side of North Lake Tahoe, they
have already had a request from the Tahoe Truckee High School for an
appearance. Ingalls also foresees Lincoln and himself providing their
services to other jurisdictions, such as agriculture inspection stations.

While Ingalls and school officials say that the arrival of a narcotics
canine on campus has been received well by the majority of students,
students themselves seem to be split on the idea. Those who favor the
program do so because they believe in keeping school drug-free.

"It's a good thing because it is better to keep people off of drugs,
especially at school," said Alicia McKenney, a freshman.

The fact that Lincoln is a cuddly puppy also goes a long way in endearing
him to students.

"And the dog is really cute," McKenney added.

Other students, however, see the presence of a drug dog as intrusive and an
example of the antagonistic relationship that exists between law enforcement
and youth.

"It's an invasion of privacy," said Duncan McCormick, a senior at the high
school. "The local police are out to get kids."

He said he also doesn't feel the program will be effective in keeping
students off drugs. "Kids are more scared (to bring drugs on campus), but it
won't change their behavior."

Whether students support the program or not, Lincoln is already making a
difference in Ingalls' ability to develop a relationship with the students.

"Being an officer in a school is highly challenging. When I first got here I
was perceived as the enemy," said Ingalls. "The dog is a great ice-breaker;
he is a reason for kids to approach me."

In the end, it may be Ingalls' closeness with the students that may act as
the biggest deterrent of all. He has already seen an increase in the number
of students who stop by his office since Lincoln came on board. "The dog
enables a relationship to be struck that is a powerful way to make a
difference in a kid's life," said Curry.
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MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk