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." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake