ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 17, 1996 TAG: 9610170051
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Don't expect to see police dogs walk up and down classroom aisles sniffing for drugs while Roanoke County middle and high school students sit at their desks.
Instead, the dogs will sniff classrooms and backpacks if students exit for an emergency drill or are asked to leave the room.
County Police Chief John Cease said he's not worried about the dogs biting or harming students, but he doesn't anticipate taking dogs into rooms with students because he said that could cause the wrong impression.
"Legally, we could walk up and down the aisles, but perceptually, I am not ready to do that at this point," Cease told principals of the middle and high schools this week.
Police will take the dogs into classrooms if school officials develop a plan for emptying the rooms, he said. Students would have to leave their backpacks in the rooms for dogs to sniff.
The School Board has asked Cease to use the dogs to make random searches at middle and high schools.
"I think these searches would send a message to the children," Cease told the principals. "I doubt there are many drugs in the schools, but this will send a strong message that if you bring drugs to school, you will be caught."
If there are illegal drugs on school property, most are probably in cars in school parking lots, he said. The dogs will sniff these, too, as well as lockers and other school areas.
Cease said the visits will be unannounced, with no warning to school officials.
He said students will be charged if drugs are discovered.
"If we come across what we believe are drugs, we will seal off the area and get a search warrant," he said. "We will treat it as a criminal investigation. We will handle it the same as if the student was off school property."
Cease said students who are suspected of having drugs will be advised of their legal rights as in any criminal investigation.
Superintendent Deanna Gordon said school officials will send letters to parents of middle and high school students advising them about the searches and procedure to be followed by police.
Cease said some county residents might think the use of police dogs creates a bad image for the schools, but Gordon said she doesn't view it as a negative.
Drugs are a community problem and the schools are dealing with it, Gordon said.
School Board Chairman Thomas Leggette said parents must take a stronger role in making sure their children don't use drugs.
"We have children for a limited portion of the day. We cannot do the job without [parents'] help," he said.
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