OPINION by Ali Krogman

A cop in uniform can make anyone paranoid.  Put a trained police dog next to the cop and even an innocent person will feel like a delinquent.  Police dogs add fear to any equation; it’s as if they are able to sniff out secrets from the deepest parts of a person (or at least that bag of pot in your sock).  But I’m here to tell you this uneasiness can be put to rest.  Law enforcement’s prized pooches have flaws when it comes to searching for drugs and other materials.

According to an article by the Chicago Tribune, drug dogs are criticized for being used for unnecessary and unreliable searches.  They are sometimes seen as “show-policing,” meaning the searches are for the image they project rather than for an actual response to drug or weapons use.

Recently, a trained dog of the Atlantic Police Department was brought in for a random drug search of AHS.  No drugs were found; however, the dog stopped at two lockers.  The two students the lockers belonged to have reputations that made it very unlikely they have ever used drugs.  Corey Larsen, Student Resource Officer, explained that drugs may have been in a nearby locker at one time and the smell drifted to where the dog stopped.

This proves that the dogs aren’t necessarily untrained, but the random-method of searching may not be the best use of the dogs’ skills.

It is reasonable to assume that most students who bring drugs to school carry them in their bag, purse, or on their person.  An anonymous student who has brought drugs to school before said, “The day of the search, I had my pipe in my bag.”  The dogs may have been able to have more luck if the school allowed for a deeper search.

The amount of training a dog is put through varies from canine to canine.  Larsen said the dogs could be trained anywhere from two months to several months.  He also believes the dogs are trained well.  When asked how many searches are conducted with the dogs each year, Larsen smiled and simply said, “A lot.”  He noted that, for the most part, the searches are successful.

I will not take issue with whether or not drugs should be searched for in the school because drugs are obviously present.  The issue is how and where to search for them.

If the school authorities suspect drug use, they must be willing to address the issue with the students they specifically suspect.  Larsen hinted there may be legal issues on determining what is a person’s private property and what is considered school property.  But the broad-band searching of everyone and all lockers on March 8 failed to secure a drug-free solution for AHS.