Pubdate: Wed, 23 Apr 2014
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA)
Copyright: 2014 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc
Contact:  http://www.philly.com/inquirer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/340
Authors: Carolyn Davis and Chris Palmer
Page: A1
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)

SCHOOL OFFICIALS NOT ALERTED TO DRUG PROBE

Some in Law Enforcement Say Administrators Can Be Too Concerned About 
Protecting Schools' Images.

The investigation into a Main Line high school drug ring began months 
ago. Police arrested one alleged ringleader in February.

But school administrators said this week that they didn't know about 
the probe until hours before authorities Monday announced the arrests 
of 11 people and unveiled a cache of seized drugs, cash, and weapons.

The admission underscores what has become a frustration among some 
law enforcement agencies vying to root out networks that peddle to 
teens: Collaborating with schools during investigations can be 
difficult - or even counterproductive.

"School systems, historically, just are not interested in working 
with law enforcement," said Jonathan Duecker, special agent in charge 
of the Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and Drug Control at the 
Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.

Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan said the issue is an 
image problem. "No school wants to be known as the school where we 
found drugs," said Hogan, whose office had a small role in the Main 
Line case. "They don't even want to hear that there are drugs in 
their schools."

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said Monday 
that Neil K. Scott, 25, of Haverford, and Timothy C. Brooks, 18, of 
Villanova, organized and operated the drug trafficking operation they 
nicknamed "the main line take over project." The men, both alumni of 
the Haverford School, a private prep school, recruited student 
dealers and sold marijuana and other drugs at Lower Merion, Harriton, 
Conestoga, and Radnor High Schools, plus several colleges.

Detectives arrested Scott in February on the day they searched his 
Haverford apartment. Loaded weapons and five pounds of marijuana, 
about one ounce of cocaine, and other drugs they found was enough for 
authorities to arrest him, Montgomery County First Assistant District 
Attorney Kevin R. Steele said.

Evidence led investigators to his alleged accomplices, including two 
juveniles still in high school, police said. The others, including 
Brooks, were arrested this week.

The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office did work with some 
of the colleges involved in the case, including Gettysburg, 
Haverford, and Lafayette, Steele said. But he said the high schools 
did not need to know about the investigation.

"We're not going to bring them into aspects of the investigation 
unless it's us showing up at their schools and showing a search 
warrant," he said.

Said Lower Merion Police Superintendent Michael McGrath: "You would 
undercut your investigation if you let too many people in on the 
details prior to making an arrest."

In other cases, however, investigators say, they butted heads with 
school administrators who seemed more concerned about the perception 
of drugs being found in their buildings.

Hogan said that twice in the last four years, authorities performed a 
drug sweep in a large Chester County public school - he wouldn't say 
which one - and found no drugs. He said he believes word of the 
looming sweeps got out after police contacted district officials to 
coordinate with them.

"Somewhere along the line," he said, "someone said something to 
somebody else. Next thing you know, every kid in that school knows 
they won't have drugs in that school for two weeks."

In another example, Hogan said he was aware of a private school that 
seized and disposed of drugs without contacting police. "We had to 
explain to them that's not how it works," he said.

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan, whose office also had 
a role in the Main Line case, said school superintendents are 
becoming more open to working with police. He pointed to a 
presentation he gave to county school leaders about a year ago.

"There were certain superintendents who said they didn't believe 
that, in their particular school district, heroin had reached 
epidemic proportions," Whelan said. They became convinced, he said, 
when shown statistics about drug overdoses.

School and police officials say that cooperation does occur - though 
some districts might prefer to deal, at least initially, with 
problems themselves.

After Monday's arrests were announced, Radnor school officials posted 
an online reminder that "one of the most important factors in keeping 
kids safe is information provided to school administrators by 
students and parents."

The message made no mention of alerting police of a possible crime. A 
school spokesman said the message did not mean to discourage anyone 
from contacting authorities.

Duecker said he has been making attempts to develop customized drug 
education programs for area schools, seeking input from students and 
administrators on how to tailor the programs.

The reception has been mixed, he said. And he said he was worried 
about school districts that are unwilling to participate in even 
educational programming - because the drug landscape is changing 
quickly in the suburbs.

"The trafficking networks are organic now," he said. "They're here, 
in place, using people from the Main Line. ... It should alarm 
schools and it should alarm parents."

Students seemed nonplussed by news of the arrests.

Most of about a dozen students from Radnor and Lower Merion High 
Schools who were interviewed Tuesday said they were not surprised to 
learn of the alleged drug ring operating in their schools.

"I know there are a lot of kids who do drugs," said Maura Hess, a 
15-year-old sophomore at Lower Merion.

Hess and Mira Franzlo, a 16-year-old sophomore, said teachers in 
their school probably know about drug use among students but try to ignore it.

At Radnor, 15-year-old Nico Reh said he knew "a lot of people" 
involved with drugs.

"Some people do stupid things," Reh said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom