Source: Hamilton Spectator (Canada) Section: Local News A1 / Front Page Author: Andrew Dreschel Contact: Website: http://www.southam.com/hamiltonspectator/ Pubdate: Fri 29 May 1998 HALTON DRUG RAID A BUST High school sting only netted $1,000 in pot, hash and mushrooms It cost Halton police about $6,000 to mount the recently disclosed drug sting at Oakville's General Wolfe High School. But the total street value of the marijuana, hashish and magic mushrooms seized in the two-month covert investigation is only about $1,000. Pardon the pun, but that's not much bhang for the buck, particularly since the operation raises troubling questions about the invasion of young people's privacy and rights. Police say the single biggest drug purchase made by the undercover cop, who posed as a student, was $125. The average buy was about $20. In the war against drugs, that's the equivalent of shooting a spit ball into the face of a hurricane, especially when you consider the measly seizures were spread out among 14 students. Despite the penny ante nature of the haul, police believe the operation scored big. They not only laid trafficking charges against 14 teenagers, they think they've got an effective deterrent on their hands. The idea is to make all school dealers worry that their next sale might be to a narc. Too bad the price tag for the initiative includes using deceit and deception in an institution that's supposed to instill positive social values as well as educate the young. Neither Halton police nor the Halton District School Board, whose co-operation made the sting possible, are apologizing for the aggressive investigation. ``Not everyone agrees with what we did, but we can live with that,'' says police spokesman Sergeant Frank Phillips. ``We're making the public and students aware that trafficking is going on and that people are going to have to be accountable for their actions.'' Tom Adams, principal of both General Wolfe and White Oaks high school, says as many as 10 parents have called to express their support for the sting, and the majority of his students feel the same way. He says negative reaction from a small number of students who personally know some of those charged is already softening. Adams acknowledges he had some moral qualms about allowing secret police surveillance in his school. But he believes the vast majority of students who aren't doing anything wrong have nothing to fear. There's no question that drug use by students is a troubling issue for police, parents and school officials who are justifiably worried it may be hampering learning and contributing to crimes such as break and enters. But the use of undercover officers in school is no less disturbing than bringing drug-sniffing dogs into schools, another aggressive tactic used by Halton police. Police and school officials may have the very best of intentions, but we don't judge people by their intentions, we judge them by their actions. And these kind of actions demean all students by treating them with less respect than adults. Imagine the outcry if it came to light that other publicly funded institutions were employing the same heavy-handed tactics. Imagine undercover cops masquerading as employees in hospitals, universities, colleges and government offices. Picture your reaction if you found out your private sector boss is permitting undercover operatives to scope out potential drug action in your workplace. Would you still take the view that if you've done nothing wrong, you've nothing to fear? If so, ask yourself how you feel about urine tests in the workplace. If you've done nothing wrong, why would you object to them, either? It's always easier to sacrifice someone else's privacy and rights than our own. Maybe that's why some people don't think twice about the ethics of sending an undercover cop into a high school. After all, doesn't the end justify the means? As a matter of fact, it doesn't. It's the other way around. The means always justify the end, for adults and teenage students alike. - --- Checked-by: Richard Lake