HTTP/1.0 200 OK Content-Type: text/html MLA Touts Drug Dogs As School Mascots 
Pubdate: Sun, 08 May 2005
Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB)
Copyright: 2005, Canoe Limited Partnership.
Contact:  http://www.canoe.com/NewsStand/EdmontonSun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/135
Author: David Sands, Legislature Bureau

MLA TOUTS DRUG DOGS AS SCHOOL MASCOTS

School mascots should be drug dogs, Alberta's Alliance MLA
thinks.

"What would it be like in our schools if we were indeed to have a
mascot dog that was a drug sniffer?" Cardston MLA Paul Hinman mused in
the legislature this week.

"If everybody in the school knew that there were one or two of these
mascots in there, what effect would that possibly have on drugs in our
schools?"

Hinman further suggested that the "special needs kids" could be
responsible for caring for the canine cops.

Education Minister Gene Zwozdesky declined to comment on Hinman's
suggestion.

Solicitor General Harvey Cenaiko said, however, that he's working to
convince reluctant boards to allow police dogs to conduct searches for
drugs after hours.

"We want to be sure that schools are clear on what we want to look to
do in the future. Any searches would be done after school, not during
school."

Not all boards in the province allow drug-dog searches, and Cenaiko
said he's not contemplating a law that would overrule the local
decision-makers.

"I just want them, and parents, to consider that it might be vital to
know what their kids are exposed to."

Both major Edmonton school districts participate in the same drug-dog
project with the Edmonton Police Service.

Canine cop Ebony, a Labrador, visits schools to demonstrate her
prowess at sniffing out dope, and students are made aware that a
principal who suspects a problem can call on the police to bring the
dog back for a real search.

"She's never been called back for a search, and that's interesting in
itself," Edmonton Catholic Schools spokesman Lori Nagy said.

"As far as I know," the dog has never been called into a public school
for a serious search, either, said public schools spokesman Jane Farrell. 
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