A letter was sent home to parents, informing them that the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education made arrangements with the Interquest Detection Canines Inc. to provide trained dog breeds to inspect random areas around the campuses of Ayala, Buena Vista, Chino, Chino Hills, Don Lugo High Schools, Canyon Hills, Magnolia, Ramona, Townsend, Woodcrest Junior High Schools, and the Chino Valley Learning Academy for contraband items prohibited by law.
Barbara Black, the assistant principal of Chino Hills High, introduced the representative from Interquest Detection Canines Inc. to a crowd of seventy, ensuring them that the Chino Valley Unified School District was taking every precaution to ensure its learning environments were not only safe for the students and faculty, but for the community as well. Black insisted that the purpose of the agreement with the canine agency was not to purposely catch students with contraband items, but to rather discourage them from use while on campus.
To demonstrate the effective use of detection canines, a three-year-old female golden retriever was brought to the assembly. Her trainer explained to the parents that such breeds such as golden and Labrador retrievers were effective for their keen sense of smell, which is one thousand times stronger than a human's nose, and are notorious for their friendly, non-aggressive behavior around strangers. Her point was made when the dog dropped to the gym floor and lazily rolled over on her back in the middle of her trainer's speech.
The canines are trained to detect items like gunpowder, black powder, flash powder, medication, cigarette tobacco, illegal drugs, and alcohol (sealed or opened) in clothing, backpacks, and hidden compartments around the school campus. Even unintentionally, they will sniff out weapons such as knives and graffiti markers that alleged delinquents keep with their contraband. The scent of a detection canine is so strong, that they can detect the recent presence of contraband items a few days after it has been removed, and not even water, perfume, Axe, or Febreeze can hide, cover, or mask the odor of the illegal substances.
Random, unannounced inspections will occur during the school day, where the canines will uncover contraband items in different parts of the campus, including classrooms, the student parking lot, the gym, and the locker rooms. So as not to discriminate the students or faculty, inspected areas will be completely isolated, and personal belongings suspected of containing these substances will be discreetly reported to a teacher.
The dogs are passive alert, and instead of barking or pawing at a personal belonging of a student, they sit by the detected article. If given a command from their trainer or handler, they will touch the item with their nose to specify the exact location of the contraband item.
A mother asked if a Chino Hills High security guard could demonstrate a basic search procedure using her own middle-school child as a prop. The security guard first proceeded in thoroughly feeling the child's jacket for items in question. The child was then asked to empty his pockets and turn them inside out. A seat was offered, and the child was asked to sit, remove his shoes and socks, and roll up his pant legs. A standard pat-down search was followed. The only items recovered were a Sony PSP and a pack of mints, which were returned to the child after the demonstration.
Black informed that legal measures can be taken if students resist in allowing their personal belongings to be reasonably searched. However, if they refuse to take breathalyzer tests, they would be allowed to have a conference with the nurse for confidentiality purposes; some specific medications may have side effects similar to those of the influence of illegal substances.
If a student is caught with contraband items, they will be entitled to the necessary discipline enacted by the school. If no items can be found on the student or in the student's possession, an administrator may walk the student back to their class to ensure their teacher and classmates that it was a false alarm, saving the student any discrimination or embarrassment from his or her peers. If illegal substances can be detected, but nothing is found on the student or in the student's possession, the student would then be gently spoken with to discourage the use of illegal substances and reminded of the consequences that would befall them if the contraband items were brought onto the school campus. Distribution of illegal drugs on campus is guaranteed to result in an immediate arrest. In any case, parents will be notified.
Red ribbon rallies and assemblies are held at elementary, middle, and high schools to discourage illegal use of drugs, alcohol, gunpowder, and spray paint, where the detection canines are most likely to attend.
After the meeting, some of the smaller children came down from the stands to pet the smiling golden retriever. Perhaps these lovable canines can influence the next generation to "just say no" to the use of illegal substances at school, or at home.
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