Pubdate: Wed, 19 Jul 2006
Source: Times, The (Gainesville, GA)
Copyright: 2006 Gainesville Times
Contact:  http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2701
Author: Jeff Gill
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test)

COUNTY SHERIFF CRACKS DOWN ON DRUGS IN SCHOOL

Anti-drug signs, reward posters and random drug dog  searches all 
could be part of the 2006-07 school year.

The Hall County Sheriff's Office plans to step up  efforts to crack 
down on drugs and gang activity at  area schools.

Sheriff Steve Cronic announced the plans at a forum  Tuesday morning 
for "improving learning environments"  at area schools.

"I'm excited about ... increasing involvement with the  school system 
and the school board," he said.

The event, which took place at the Greater Hall Chamber  of Commerce, 
drew school and county government  officials, law enforcement and 
other community and  business leaders.

Cronic unveiled a poster declaring that the sheriff's  office and the 
school system will pay a reward to  anyone who provides information 
that leads to the  arrest and conviction of anyone violating the 
state's  drug laws.

He also displayed a sign that will be placed at the  entrance of each 
school that says Hall County has zero  tolerance for drugs, weapons, 
alcohol or gangs in  schools.

The sheriff's office has added two new drug dogs, paid  for by Turbo 
Logistics, that will be stationed at East  Hall and North Hall high 
schools only because that's  the home turf of the deputies assigned 
as their  handlers.

The handlers and their dogs are completing a four-week  training 
session, and will be ready by the start of  school on Aug. 4.

The sheriff's office plans to conduct random drug  searches using the 
drug dogs.

Will Schofield, superintendent of the Hall school  system, said that 
schools have been given notice that  the drug dogs and handlers can 
"show up at any school  at any time and they better be given the red 
carpet  treatment."

He said the frustration with drug searches in the past  has been that 
people have used cell phones "to tip off  people who have drugs when 
the drug dogs have come in  the school."

"Kids have slipped out the door and the drugs are in  the woods 
somewhere," Schofield said.

The group also discussed a number of drug and gang  awareness 
programs conducted in the schools. Gordon  Higgins, spokesman for the 
Hall system, talked about  random drug tests that the district's 
athletes must  submit to.

As the meeting wrapped up, Schofield pushed for forum  participants 
to work actively on the problem of drugs  and gangs in schools.

He also suggested that the group meet again at some  point, "so we 
can into some more specifics."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman