Pubdate: Thu, 28 Sep 2006
Source: Marietta Times, The (OH)
Copyright: 2006 The Marietta Times
Contact:  http://www.mariettatimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2988
Author: Brad Bauer, ON THE PROWL FOR DRUGS: TEAMS OF OFFICERS, DOGS FIND  NOTHING IN SEARCH

Students expressed mixed feelings Wednesday after a  swarm of police 
officers and drug sniffing dogs swept  through area schools and parking lots.

In the first of what is expected to be several surprise  searches at 
Washington County schools this year, no  drugs were found.

Officers searched Fort Frye High School, Frontier High  School and 
Newport Elementary School on Wednesday.

"The bottom line is we're happy we didn't find  anything. We'd rather 
find nothing than something. It  indicates our teachers and students 
are doing things  right," said Maj. John Winstanley of the Washington 
County Sheriff's Office.

Fort Frye senior Shayna Cochran said she was scared  when school 
officials announced the school was going  into a "lock-down mode."

All doors and windows at the school were locked and  lights were 
turned off. Students were asked to sit  quietly in their classrooms 
until the end of the  20-minute sweep.

"At first I thought something was really wrong until I  learned what 
was going on," Cochran said. "It was a  little scary."

Cochran said after she calmed down she was glad to know  the school 
was being searched and that nothing was  found.

"I think it's a good thing," Cochran said. "No one  wants drugs in 
their school."

Because parking lots and school lockers are owned by  the school 
districts, they are subject to searches.  Officers only searched 
lockers and vehicles where dogs  indicated drugs may be present.

In all, eight lockers and five vehicles were searched.

Frontier senior Malkom Kidd said his school has been  searched four 
or five times for drugs since he was a  freshman.

"I think it's good and bad. I don't like seeing kids  get caught like 
that ... But maybe getting caught it  will help them quit."

Kidd said he would have been upset if his vehicle or  locker had been 
searched. He questioned why no drugs  were found if the dogs alerted.

Deputy Randy Stackpole of the Washington County  Sheriff's Office 
said police dogs are able to detect  the smell of drugs in vehicles, 
lockers or on clothing  long after the drugs are gone.

"The dogs all alert to the odor. The student may have  been at a 
party or around someone and the smell could  have gotten on their 
clothes or backpack," Stackpole  said. "Just because the narcotic 
isn't there doesn't  mean it wasn't there. The dogs can still detect it."

In addition to the Washington County Sheriff's Office,  officers from 
Parkersburg Police Department, Wood  County Sheriff's Office, New 
Lexington Police  Department and Hocking County Sheriff's Office 
assisted  in the search.

A total of seven dogs and more than a dozen officers  participated.
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