Pubdate: Wed, 04 Feb 2004
Source: Providence Journal, The (RI)
Copyright: 2004 The Providence Journal Company
Contact:  http://www.projo.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/352
Author: Alice Gomstyn, Journal Staff Writer

DRUG RAID RILES PARENTS

EAST GREENWICH -- A drug sweep and "school lockdown" at East Greenwich
High School last Friday found no drugs but did raise the ire of some
parents, who argued that the police action -- the first of its kind
here -- sparked unnecessary alarm in the community.

East Greenwich officers, accompanied by eight or nine drug-sniffing
dogs, entered the building at 8:45 a.m.. Shortly thereafter, all
entrances to the building were locked and an announcement went out
over the school's speaker system advising students and faculty to
remain in their classrooms. Then, for roughly 20 minutes, the dogs
combed the hallways, noses perked for the scent of drugs.

They found none.

"This was a demonstration of the fact that a lot of things are going
right," said Robert L. Houghtaling, the coordinator of the East
Greenwich Substance Abuse Prevention Program.

Houghtaling said that, for the past several years, drug use among
teenagers has been falling in East Greenwich. Even though the search
might have been "a little uncomfortable," he said, the confirmation of
a drug-free environment at the high school was "very positive."

But some parents last week disagreed with Houghtaling's
assessment.

In an e-mail sent to School Committtee Chairwoman Sue P. Duff on
Friday evening, one parent complained that "the students and the
faculty have been made to feel unsafe by the very people ... whose
duty it is to make the public safe!"

Duff said that she and other school committee members have heard from
at least six other parents critical of the sweep.

Police officials this week defended the action, saying it had been
conducted for good reason: prompted partly by tips from parents who
suspected that drug dealing was taking place at the high school.

Police said they had proof that at least some drug activity had
occurred there in recent months: in early December, they arrested two
students at the school for possession of marijuana.

The sweep also helped shore up emergency procedures at the school,
according to Police Chief David Desjarlais.

"For the safety of my officers, the students, and the faculty, we have
to have procedure in place to lock down the school so that emergency
responders know exactly what to expect when they enter the school,"
Desjarlais said.

He added that incidents such as the shootings at Columbine High
School, in Littleton, Colo., in 1999 highlight the need to have
emergency plans in place at all schools.

Since 2002, two police officers -- known as school resource officers
or SROs -- have been stationed at the high school as part of a program
to foster communication among the police, students and school
administrators.

Duff said yesterday that both she and some parents worry that the
sweep may have undermined the trust the SROs, who did not participate
in the drug search, have established with the student body. The drug
search, she said, may have led some students to fear the police.

But according to Desjarlais, safety must be prioritized over all other
concerns.

"The police want to be everybody's friend, but the public needs to
understand that the police have a specific function, and that's to
maintain the security of the building," he said.

Plans for Friday's drug search were kept secret from high school
administrators to ensure that no students were accidentally tipped off
to the operation.

Schools Supt. Michael W. Jolin was notified in advance. In 2000, when
he was Johnston's school superintendent, Jolin helped plan a similar
sweep at Johnston High School..

Jolin said that he did not participate in planning the East Greenwich
sweep.

"It was a judgment call made by the police chief," Jolin said, "and I
respect him for the decision he made." 
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