Pubdate: Wed, 13 Dec 2006
Source: Ridgefield Press, The (CT)
Copyright: 2006 Hersam Acorn Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/ridgefield.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4356
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

DRUGS: SCHOOL BOARD OKS USE OF SNIFF-DOG AT RIDGEFIELD HIGH

A "police presence" including both a student resource  officer and 
the drug-sniffing police dog will be used  in Ridgefield High School, 
town officials have decided.

After an executive session of the Board of Education on  school 
security Monday, Dec. 11, School Superintendent  Kenneth Freeston 
announced that the police dog would be  used at the high school.

"A part of the Ridgefield High School's commitment to  zero tolerance 
will be utilizing a canine presence at  Ridgefield High School. We 
will not be commenting any  further on that; to do so would reveal 
the nature of  investigative work that we do," he said.

First Selectman Rudy Marconi said Monday that a police  officer would 
probably start back in the high school in  February. The student 
resource officer was dropped from  Ridgefield High School several 
years ago due to budget  constraints, but the Board of Education, the 
Board of  Selectmen and the Police Commission have all agreed  that 
the officer should start back in the school as  soon as possible, he said.

"We are aggressively pursuing the reinstitution of the  school 
resource officer," Police Chief Richard Ligi  said.

Chief Ligi said the police commission would also like  to see a 
student resource officer added in the middle  schools next year.

The Board of Selectmen has also asked that Zeus, the  police dog, be 
used in the town's two middle schools.

"We have not had any public discussion on the use of  the dog at the 
middle schools," Dr. Freeston said  Tuesday. "Should concerns develop 
which lead us in that  direction, we will take that action."

The increased security at the schools comes after a  Ridgefield High 
School senior committed suicide in what  his parents called a 
drug-related death. His parents  have asked town officials to crack 
down on alcohol and  drug abuse at Ridgefield High School.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman