Who knew heroin use was a major problem in high schools today? But as always, leave it to our furry friends to come to the rescue!
— Kenn
By Stacey Altherr for Newsday.com
Concerns about heroin use among high school students in Smithtown have prompted school district administrators there to talk to Suffolk County police about letting its canine unit train their drug-sniffing dogs at the district’s two high schools.
If an agreement is finalized, county police will train their dogs inside the buildings after school hours when students are no longer present.
The Smithtown school district has been working with other agencies, such as the police, to deal with the growing problem of heroin use among its students, said Smithtown schools superintendent Edward Ehmann, and he sees the prospective agreement as another component of its comprehensive anti-heroin program.
“It’s just another aspect of trying to be as proactive as we can be,” he said.
The head of the canine unit, Lt. Brian Coltellino, confirmed that police were in talks with Smithtown schools, and stressed the dogs’ presence would be strictly as a training exercise.
“We’ve discussed doing some training at their schools. Nothing more than training.” However, if drugs are found on school property, the officers will take “appropriate police action,” he said, as in any situation.
Coltellino added that the dogs have trained before in school settings as well as other buildings.
A Newsday story earlier this year found that at least 15 Long Island districts have added dogs to their security forces; most, if not all, of the districts contracted with private companies.
The idea of allowing dogs to train in Smithtown’s schools was brought up at Tuesday night’s school board meeting, and PTA president Maureen O’Connor said no one objected. One parent, O’Connor said, wanted to know why the dogs wouldn’t be brought in to train during the school day.
Unfortunately, she said, heroin use is a reality schools have to deal with even though it starts as a community and family issue.
“Most kids will be comforted by the fact that someone is looking out for them,” O’Connor said. “They need to be in a safe place to learn.”
The Smithtown district also will be the site Thursday of the unveiling of the county’s new police initiative, PoliceSmart, aimed at getting heroin out of schools and off the streets.
It replaces the old D.A.R.E. program, an initiative for fifth-graders that County Executive Steve Levy said wasn’t “flexible” enough. Levy and Police Commissioner Richard Dormer will hold a news conference this morning at Accompsett Middle School in Smithtown to kick off the program.
“We’re looking to tackle the increase in heroin use from an educational and law enforcement perspective,” Levy said in an interview. “We are incorporating a 45-minute educational into the program to highlight the addictive dangers of this drug to students.”
The PoliceSmart program will be aimed at middle school students, but can be tailored for younger students. Suffolk will detach 10 officers for the program, Levy said.
Smithtown was chosen because it is on the forefront of dealing with the explosion of heroin in suburban communities, Levy said.
