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School Official Says Province's Drug Dog Idea 'Not
Pubdate: Tue, 10 May 2005
Source: Medicine Hat News (CN AB)
Copyright: 2005 Alberta Newspaper Group, Inc.
Contact: http://www.medicinehatnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1833
Author: Matthew Grant
SCHOOL OFFICIAL SAYS PROVINCE'S DRUG DOG IDEA 'NOT ADEQUATE'
Having police dogs occasionally conduct after hours drug searches in
schools is not an adequate way to fight drugs in schools, Catholic school
division superintendent Guy Tetrault says.
Responding to questions from the News, Tetrault said he believes Medicine
Hat's Dogs For Drug Free Schools initiative is a less intrusive, more
effective way of keeping drugs out of Alberta's schools.
"It's not adequate," Tetrault said of an initiative being put forward by
the province's Solicitor General Harvey Cenaiko. Last week, Cenaiko said he
was working to convince reluctant school boards to allow police dogs to
conduct drug searches after school 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."
Cenaiko said there were some school boards that don't want the dogs in
schools and he was currently considering legislation to overrule them.
"I just want them (school boards), and parents, to consider that it might
be vital to know what their kids are exposed to."
Tetrault said he felt the Dogs For Drug Free Schools initiative being
undertaken by Medicine Hat's public and Catholic school boards and directed
by the Medicine Hat Police Service would be a more educational way to
inform local children about the dangers of drug use.
"The dogs are growing up in our schools. The kids get to know them.
"Kids know the dogs are being trained to smell drugs."
Medicine Hat's drug dog initiative will see dogs raised in several of the
city's junior and senior high schools and would be under the supervision of
the school's police resource officer.
The dogs will be trained to sit and stay still in areas where they detect
drugs and that information will be forwarded to the school's
administration. The aim of the program is to keep drugs off school property.
- -- With files from Canadian Press
- ---
MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman