Pubdate: Sun, 06 Jan 2002
Source: Register-Guard, The (OR)
Copyright: 2002 The Register-Guard
Contact:  http://www.registerguard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/362
Author: Larry Bacon, The Register-Guard
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education)

Education Extra:

POLICE CANINES DOING MORE THAN JUST SNIFFING FOR DRUGS

NORTH BEND -- The marijuana, sealed almost air-tight inside a plastic 
envelope not much bigger than a business card, has been in Locker 22 at 
North Bend Middle School for only a few minutes.

In such a short time, not much odor has developed, so it's a real challenge 
for the female black Labradors, Gracie and Cutter, to sniff out the drug.

Tail wagging, tongue out and obviously enjoying her favorite game, 
18-month-old Gracie works her way down the row of lockers without detecting 
the marijuana. Then Cutter, a calmer, more experienced 8-year-old, gives it 
a try.

As she passes Locker 22, Cutter's head turns sharply and she doubles back. 
Her sniffer accelerates to vacuum cleaner speed. Then she gives the alert 
sign - digging at the bottom of the locker with her two front paws.

The marijuana, placed for exercise purposes, is extracted. And finally 
comes the reward - a chance to chew on a rolled-up white towel presented by 
Cutter's handler, Rodger Craddock, a Coos Bay police officer assigned to 
the Coos Bay School District.

"The big difference is, she's been doing this a long time," Craddock says, 
explaining Cutter's success.

The handlers of the Labradors believe they are the only drug-sniffing dogs 
in Oregon assigned full time to school resource officers. Both dogs have a 
proven track record of finding hidden drugs.

Craddock and Cutter spend most of their time at Coos Bay's Sunset and 
Millicoma middle schools; Mike Olson, a North Bend police officer, and 
Gracie are headquartered at North Bend Middle School.

Although dogs work at the schools, officials say the districts don't have 
more severe drug problems than elsewhere. In fact, the dogs' presence is, 
in part, happenstance.

Olson, a school resource officer for three years, was assigned four months 
ago to be the handler for Gracie, a new dog with the department. Craddock, 
a canine handler for three years, was rotated into the school resource job 
this year and took Cutter with him.

Both school districts have utilized drug-sniffing dogs before, but the 
animals were never in schools full time.

The two officers and their dogs help investigate off-campus crimes 
involving drugs, and the dogs handle routine locker-sniffing duties at 
other schools.

The officers and school administrators see the dogs' presence in the 
schools as a plus. Not only do the dogs serve as a constant reminder to 
students of the possibility of getting caught if they bring drugs to 
school, they also help officers get closer to students.

Gracie, at 18 months old, is new to drug-sniffing and hasn't found any this 
school year.

"There were lots of kids who were stand-offish who knew me before," Olson 
says. "But when I have the dog they will come up to me. They want to see 
her and pet her." And before long, he says, such kids will greet him in the 
hallway even if he doesn't have the dog. Olson also believes that students 
are more likely to talk to him about personal problems.

North Bend Middle School Principal John Franzen says the mission of the 
school resource officer is to help provide a safer school and build rapport 
with students.

"The dog has been a real addition to that mission here," he says.

Franzen and the principals at the two Coos Bay middle schools say the dog 
program has solid support from parents and most students - except for the 
few who are into drugs.

So far this year, Olson says his work with Gracie has produced no finds of 
drugs in schools. Craddock says he and Cutter have five finds - the most 
recent just off the school grounds in a spot he checked due to tips by 
middle school students. Cutter worked the area and was attracted to a fence 
post that had fallen over.

"We moved the fence post and there was a bag of marijuana and a pipe," 
Craddock says. "We took them and left our business card."

"I think the fact that students are aware of this occurring, and 
occasionally kids getting caught, we are not seeing drugs in schools a 
lot," says Mike Hughes, principal at Millicoma Middle School.

Franzen, the North Bend principal, says the only concerns he encountered 
about Gracie's nearly full-time presence in his school were from a couple 
of school board members who feared the dog would wrongly make it appear the 
school has a serious drug problem.

But things have gone smoothly, Franzen says, and he has heard no more such 
concerns.

Olson says he and Gracie periodically do an informal "run" down a bank of 
lockers for training. More formal searches involve an announcement on the 
public address system that the dog is sniffing the lockers and students are 
to stay in their classrooms.

If drugs are found, the officers say cases can be handled within the school 
discipline process, or criminal charges can be filed. Part of their role as 
resource officers is to help students with drug problems get counseling and 
treatment if necessary.

People in other communities have raised constitutional questions about the 
use of drug dogs for random checks, and some other school districts, such 
as Eugene and Bethel, say school drug problems don't warrant such 
screening. However the Springfield School District is considering the use 
of drug-sniffing dogs.

Olson and Craddock say the Coos Bay and North Bend districts view the dogs 
as just another tool to make the schools safer for students. And they note 
that court rulings allow the "sniffs." The officers say schools make it 
plain that lockers are district property, subject to being opened by school 
officials at any time.

"One thing we don't allow," Craddock says, "is for the dogs to sniff people 
(for drugs). "That is a (constitutional) violation and unlawful search."

Craddock says he isn't naive enough to think using the dogs will make all 
students stay away from drugs.

"But if all we accomplish is that kids continue to use but don't bring 
drugs to school, it's a win," he says.
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