Pubdate: Sat, 27 Jan 2007
Source: Maui News, The (HI)
Copyright: 2007 The Maui News
Contact:  http://www.mauinews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2259
Author: Claudine San Nicolas, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

KALAMA STUDENTS APPLAUD ACUMEN OF DRUG-HUNT DOG

MAKAWAO - Recognizing the search limitations of a  first-time 
drug-sniffing dog, staff and students at  Kalama Intermediate School 
expressed high hopes Friday  for success in the fight against 
substance abuse on  campus.

With TV cameras rolling under the eyes of about 800  6th-to 
8th-graders, Custer, the drug-sniffing dog,  showed his ability to 
identify a suspicious odor in a  backpack on the campus lawn.

The crowd applauded Custer's efforts and so did his  trainer and 
owner, Whitney White of Interquest  Detection Canines of Hawaii.

"Oh, he did a good job, guys," White said as she held  up a sealed 
plastic bottle of vodka which Custer had  sniffed out from a zipped 
up backpack.

Eighth-graders Artemisa Pacheco, Carly Dela Cruz and  Jayme Boonstra 
all expressed support for canine drug  searches at their school.

"I think it's pretty good that they could catch people  with drugs. 
They're not supposed to be doing that,"  Pacheco said.

Dela Cruz said the knowledge that a drug-sniffing dog  can come to 
her campus on any given day serves as an  effective deterrent for students.

"It's good just to know the dog is going to be here on  campus," she 
said. "It could stop the drugs."

Pacheco, who's expected to enroll at King Kekaulike  High School next 
year as a freshman, said she believes  high schools should also 
employ drug-sniffing dogs.  "They probably should," she said.

"They should," Boonstra added.

Whether it be drugs, alcohol, gunpowder or prescription  medications, 
often abused by individuals, Custer has  been trained to detect them 
all and sit by them as his  trainer checks out his findings.

"All he knows," White explained to a questioning  student, "is that 
he finds the smell. He doesn't care  what it is. He sits the same 
way, whether it's drugs or  alcohol."

Custer's searching at Kalama Intermediate – the  first public 
school in Hawaii to allow drug-sniffing  dogs on campus – will 
be limited to the campus  landscaping, building exteriors and 
restrooms. Dogs  will not be allowed to search people or backpacks, 
and  until the attorney general's office approves, there  will be no 
sniffing around lockers.

In response to a student's question, White said it  takes about nine 
to 12 months to train a drug-sniffing  dog. Most are trained at 
Interquest's corporate  headquarters in Houston.

White, the owner of the only nonprofit canine drug dog  service in 
the state, has the certification and  licensing authority to train 
dogs and use illegal drugs  during such training. She said she has a 
second dog  waiting on the Mainland to move here, should her 
agency  get more jobs.

For now, Custer is limited to conducting searches at  two private 
schools on Oahu and at several hotels and  businesses on Maui.

"We're not busy enough," White said.

White told Kalama parents in a Wednesday-night briefing  that dogs 
are initially qualified for the drug-sniffing  tasks through several 
tests including tossing an item  containing the smell of illegal 
substances as many as  40 times. The canine, according to White, must 
be able  to go after the substances all 40 times and with as  much hunger.

For that reason, when Custer is not working, the  62-pound golden 
retriever is held in a 4- by 10-foot  kennel where he stays until 
it's time to do a drug  search or run through more training. Custer 
is not allowed to go to the beach, go for walks or even roam  freely 
around White's home.

White maintains that keeping the mild-mannered dog's  activities 
minimal makes Custer an effective  drug-sniffing dog.

"We always want him to hunger for the smell," she said.

Mary Cochran, the state Board of Education Neighbor  Island 
representative from Maui, expressed hopes that  locker searches would 
be approved soon. At the Kalama  demonstration, Cochran, who is an 
attorney, said she  believes a "compelling state interest" exists and 
overrides individual rights to privacy on a public  school campus.

"But that's the call of the AG's office for now. The  main thing is 
we want to keep drugs out."

School Renewal Specialist Bruce Anderson of the  Kekaulike complex 
said public schools in the Upcountry  area have not discussed the use 
of canine searches.

"Any school is going to look at the pilot first and see  how it works 
there," he said.

Sixth-grader Derek Kahalekai said he felt more secure  knowing his 
campus was employing canine searches.

"It's nice to know we can be drug free because of the dog."

Substitute teacher Robert Johnston, who is employed at  least two to 
three days a week at Kalama, called the  program "a worthwhile idea 
to try out." Another  substitute teacher, Antonia Armstrong, held 
back students who wanted to stroke Custer and see him up  close.

"I love dogs and kids love dogs but this one is here  for a good 
purpose. I think the psychological aspect of  just having this dog on 
campus will help to fight this  drug problem we have on the island," she said.

Kalama counselor Matthew Macik said he would have  supported bringing 
the drug-sniffing dog without any  student orientation.

"I think they should have just come and done it if they  want to find 
out about drugs," Macik said.

Costales reiterated Friday that the motivation for a  drug-sniffing 
dogs is purely a preventative measure and  is not targeted at any 
individuals at Kalama. In  material presented to parents Wednesday, 
he reported  students were found in possession of illegal drugs or 
alcohol regularly, although he emphasized Kalama's  experience with 
banned substances was not worse than  other schools in Hawaii.

"This is the time when students are trying new things,  not always 
good things," he said.

School Resource Officer Darrell Ramos said police calls  to Kalama 
dropped by 48 percent in the first year he  was assigned to the 
campus three years ago. Authorities  at the school reported to police 
a variety of cases  including assault, thefts and drug abuse.

"I think as a deterrent it should benefit this school.  There's no 
doubt about it," Ramos said.

The pilot project, paid through private donations, is  expected to 
run through the end of the school year with  three other campuses 
– Lahainaluna High, Lahaina  Intermediate, and Lanai High and 
Elementary School  – expected to join the program shortly.

White said she's hoping more schools will adopt a  canine substance 
abuse program and she'll need more  public financial support to fund 
the unannounced  searches. For more information or to make a 
donation, call White at 281-7075.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman