Pubdate: Thu, 06 Nov 2003 Source: Helena Independent Record (MT) Copyright: 2003 Helena Independent Record Contact: http://helenair.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1187 Author: Bob Campbell Note: Bob Campbell of Helena is a pharmacist, attorney and as a delegate to the constitutional convention proposed the right of privacy and 18-year-old adulthood, which are both in the Montana Constitution. CALL OFF THOSE SCHOOL DOGS Recently I attended a public meeting of the Helena Public School Board of Trustees for the purpose of discussing their continuing to allow law enforcement officers with police dogs to sniff all high school lockers while teachers and students are locked in their rooms under the suspicion of being common criminals. We pay administrators of public schools generous salaries because we expect them to use good judgment in providing a quality education to our students, the most important resource in the community. On the issue of police dogs running down the hall with no warning, the policy is disruptive and is doing more harm than good. It is time to call off the dogs. The Board has adopted as their motto "Helena Public Schools foster dynamic educational experiences that prepare all students for life." Becoming an arm of law enforcement to prosecute students hardly meets their chosen standard. Here are the reasons the policy should be discontinued: Discouraging harmful drug use is a goal we all share but this concern has escalated from hysteria to over-reaction. Eighty-five percent of America's health problems attributable to drug use results from the use of two addictive drugs, alcohol and nicotine. The remaining 15 percent is attributable to all other drugs combined, legal and illegal. The "Partnership For A Drug Free America" is funded by the alcohol and nicotine industries exempting their drugs from the wide-spread campaigns. Meanwhile they continue to addict millions of people world wide while they make billions for themselves. Relying on law enforcement to have the responsibility of reducing harmful drug use is not working. The more money we pour into the criminal justice system the less money we have for badly under funded treatment programs. The present program is costing us $40 billion of our tax dollars this year with more illegal drugs available now then 30 years ago when Richard Nixon thought it was a good idea. Those who still support his approach after thirty years of failure insist that if we just keep adding more money to law enforcement each year we will eventually solve the problem. Law enforcement is trained to punish not treat those they incarcerate. The criminal justice system can destroy future job prospects and prisons do not provide new opportunities for those who want to break the cycle of addiction. Police dogs in our high schools as an extension of law enforcement are woefully ineffective in protecting students or teachers because they cannot detect more serious threats such as methamphetamine, guns, knives, or alcohol. Locking up students and teachers while police dogs run up and down the hall for a half hour with no advance warning is not a "dynamic educational experience" as promised by the Board. Call your high school principal and tell him to call off the dogs and get back to educating and not prosecuting students. Maybe the Board of Trustees will get the message and live up to their own ideals. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake