Pubdate: Tue, 22 May 2007 Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune (MN) Copyright: 2007 Star Tribune Contact: http://www.startribunecompany.com/143 Website: http://www.startribune.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/266 Author: David La Vaque, Star Tribune Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) DRUG-SNIFFING DOGS ARE VISIBLE EFFORT TO KEEP SCHOOLS CLEAN In An Effort To Deter Students From Bringing Illegal Drugs To School, Several West-Metro High Schools Have Been Working With A Company That Provides Drug-Sniffing Dogs Whether it is Charlie sniffing his way past rows of hallway lockers, Andie checking out cars on the street or Tosca canvassing the parking lots, the dogs of Metro Canine Detection Services all work in the spirit of drug prevention. John Roux's Eagan-based company provides dog searches aimed at detecting and deterring illegal narcotics at businesses, private homes and schools. He currently conducts searches at 15 metro-area schools, including St. Louis Park, Benilde-St. Margaret's and Mound-Westonka high schools. While school administrators said it's impossible to keep every student from using drugs, they are committed to keeping drugs off campus. "We want to create a culture where kids can be supported to be chemically free," said Jeff Ferguson, associate dean of students at Totino-Grace. "We know we're not going to bat a thousand, but we're making a dent." A former counselor at a treatment center, Roux coupled that experience with his knowledge of training hunting dogs to form his company in 2002. His three Belgian Malinois can detect the scent of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana. In addition, females Andie and Tosca can detect gunpowder. All three dogs receive weekly maintenance training and annual certification by a training school in Texas. Roux's random monthly or bimonthly searches can include parking lots, streets near the school where students park their cars, classrooms, hallway lockers, locker rooms and bathrooms. He has conducted some in-school demonstrations and allowed students to meet the dogs. He does not want students feeling threatened by the dogs' presence. "When I'm in the hallways, a lot of times kids come up and say hi to the dog," he said. "I was in the parking lot working last winter and someone came up and thanked me for helping keep the school safe. It's very rewarding." When his dogs detect the scent of drugs or gunpowder, they signal by sitting down. Roux leaves the process of searching lockers or cars to school administrators. Marijuana is the drug most often found, though methamphetamine has been found three times and a residual amount of cocaine was found once. Administrators at Brooklyn Center, North St. Paul, Totino-Grace and White Bear Area Learning Center said only marijuana has been found at their schools. Gunpowder has been detected in vehicles, but guns were never found. In two cases, the dogs picked up a scent left by hunting rifles. The students had used their vehicles on recent hunting trips with their fathers. Administrators said they initiated contact with Metro Canine Detection Services to be proactive rather than reactive. They said the dogs have been an effective deterrent to students bringing drugs on campus, though it is difficult to quantify the effect. Feedback from student evaluations at Totino-Grace reflect a generally positive attitude about the program. Kirsten Dawson, the Chemical Health Counselor at Totino-Grace and Cretin-Derham Hall, said incidents where students report other students for coming to school high have declined. "How we present our campuses to young kids is a concern," she said. "We don't want their first exposure to drugs to be in the bathroom at our schools." - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath