Police Dogs Check School For Drugs

NOTHING FOUND AT FARMINGTON

FARMINGTON — Four police dogs sniffed through Farmington High School last week for a random drug check of the school campus.

None of the dogs found any drugs or anything else drug related. Two of the dogs came from the Washington County Sheriff ’s Office. A third one was from the Fayetteville Police Department and the fourth came from the Springdale Police Department.

Jon Purifoy, high school principal, said he hopes the random drug checks and just seeing the dogs on campus will deter students from bringing drugs to school. He said the searches were not related to students who have been expelled this semester for having illegal drugs in their possession on school property but were part of the school’s plan to have random checks throughout the year.

The searches conducted Oct. 15 went as smoothly as possible, Purifoy said.

The dogs went down the hallways to check student lockers, went into several classrooms and checked the basketball locker rooms, agriculture building, football field house and the band room.

This was the first random drug search for the year. Brian Hubbard, Farmington police chief, said the department does not follow a set plan in scheduling searches.

“We can do two in one week or several months apart,” Hubbard said. In the past, random searches have usually been conducted at the middle school or high school, Hubbard said.

Cpl. T.J. Rennie with the sheriff ’s office and Ranger, a Belgian Malinois, checked outside lockers in the main hallway and searched the fieldhouse. Rennie has worked with Ranger for 2½ years and he said being a K- 9 officer is fulfilling because it helps to get drugs off the street.

The reward for finding drugs is a ball and Ranger found a small amount of drugs placed at the school for his benefit. He is a passive alert drug dog and sat down when he found the drugs.

“Everything they do is for the reward,” Rennie said. “If they don’t get a reward, they get agitated.”

Ranger is trained not only for drugs but for tracking people and recovering articles, such as keys or a phone that would be used for evidence.

“He’s been a fantastic dog,” Rennie said.

LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER Cpl. T.J. Rennie with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and his police dog, Ranger, conduct a random drug check at Farmington High School last week.