Five Police Dogs Sniff For Drugs At NHS
Five Police Dogs Sniff
For Drugs At NHS
By Andrew Gorosko
In an effort to find any illicit drugs located in Newtown High School, or in vehicles in the schoolâs parking lots, town police, aided by four other police departments, last week used five police dogs in searching the school for drugs.
No arrests were made following the search of the school and the parking lots, police said.
Police have used multiple dogs for such searches in the past, but those dog-assisted searches were conducted before the start of a school year, explained Police Chief Michael Kehoe.
The search that was conducted after the school lunch break on Friday, May 23, represented the first time that multiple dogs have been used for drug searches while the high school was in session with students present, said Chief Kehoe.
Besides Newtown policeâs German shepherd known as Baro, dog handlers from police departments in Ridgefield, Easton, Middlebury, and Stratford had their dogs search the premises, police said.
Police termed the exercise a ânarcotics sniffâ in which the dogs were seeking the presence of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines. The project took about 90 minutes to accomplish. Students were in classrooms when the drug search took place.
Besides the five dogs and their handlers, Lieutenant George Sinko and School Resource Officer Domenic Costello participated in the drug sweep.
Police said the effort was a cooperative venture between the police and the school system intended to detect any illegal drugs and also to deter the presence of drugs at the school to protect the safety of students.
Police said that other such drug searches may occur throughout the school year.
Such searches involve dog handlers letting their animals walk through corridors and sniff school lockers for the presence of drugs. The dogs and their handlers also walk through parking lots to check vehicles parked there.
Of the use of police dogs to search the school premises for drugs, Chief Kehoe said, âI think it sends a strong messageâ that police are serious about drug law enforcement.
Newtown police have used their dog for similar drug searches in other towns, the police chief said.
