Dec 8, 2003 By Patty Shultz 5 min read

CONNELLSVILLE – Mercy, a 3-year-old Belgium Malinois, sits patiently as she awaits instruction from her handler to move along the row of lockers that lines the Connellsville Area High School. “Are you ready? Find me the good stuff,” Cindy Swallop instructs the canine.

For the next hour or so, Mercy moves along the hallways and carries out Swallop’s command to sniff for any drug substance that might be within the lockers.

Last month, the school board contracted with Swallop’s company, K-9 Detection Services, to provide random drug searches at district facilities and earlier this week the first nighttime search was conducted at the high school.

According to Charles Matthews, district director of safety and security, shortly after the board approved the resolution, the high school was searched during a daytime lockdown of the building, when students and staff were in the classrooms.

“We want to send a message to the students that we will not tolerate the use of drugs,” he said.

Swallop, who also is employed by the district as a security officer, said her interest in dogs coupled with a similar interest in police work led her to form the company.

“I am also interested in making sure our kids are safe,” she said.

Both the dog and handler underwent several weeks of training to distinguish the different narcotics and to work in tandem.

“It’s amazing what these dogs can learn to do,” said Swallop.

Scent-trained dogs can virtually “see” inside any hiding place. Experts estimate that canine detection dogs have a sense of smell that is 1,000 times more acute than a human.

When off-duty, Swallop said Mercy is considered a part of the family.

Before the search begins, Swallop and Mercy play a friendly game of catch with a favorite yellow tennis ball. The toy, said Swallop, represents a reward to the dog for performing her duties.

“I have to get her riled before we can start,” said Swallop as she tousled with the dog.

With Swallop guiding her, Mercy walks close to the lockers. As the two turn a corner, the canine sits down, an indication that something is inside the metal cabinet.

Swallop takes the dog along the corridor a second and third time with the same response.

“Show me where,” she instructs the canine.

Mercy, with her ears standing and tail wagging, turns her head to the locker and the number is recorded by school police officer Joseph Ambrose, who along with building principal Robert McLuckey will search the contents at a later time.

Ambrose said he is supportive of the initiative. “It’s a shame it has come to this,” he said as he follows Swallop and Mercy through the hallways. “Many schools are doing this. Society is dictating it.”

McLuckey said he hopes the initiative is a deterrent to students utilizing narcotics on school property.

“I’m in favor of conducting the searches,” he said. “I’m hopeful the students will come to realize that the administration will not tolerate anyone bringing or using drugs in school.”

The move to implement a stronger drug policy comes as local health care providers and police are informing the district that drug use is on the rise.

Board member Francis Mongell is a nurse manager at Highlands Hospital and sees numerous young people being treated for drug-related problems.

“The diagnosis on admissions (documents) indicates that drug-use has escalated in our area,” he said. “I don’t think there is any question in the mind of local law enforcement or within the health care community, that there is drug use at the high school level.”

Mongell believes while there are several narcotics being used, heroin appears to be the drug of choice.

“The (drug) pushers are making it available and offering it cheap,” he said.

Connellsville Police Chief Stephen Cooper said statistics compiled by the local department indicate rising drug use within the community. According to department records, officers made 65 drug-related arrests last year and 91 since January 2003.

Police Cpl. Ron Haggerty, who also serves with the Fayette County Drug Task Force, said many of the city thefts within the past year could also be tied to drug use.

“(The drug users) steal things to pay for the heroin,” he said, adding that the addictive narcotic has replaced Oxycotin as the area’s most popular drug.

The department officials said that prescription drug use is also prevalent in the area, with teens removing pills from parents’ and grandparents’ prescription bottles and distributing them at school or on the street.

Matthews characterizes the substance abuse within the district itself as problematic.

“I can’t deny that we don’t have a drug problem, but it is not at an epidemic level,” he said. “Hopefully, some of these new programs will serve as a deterrent.”

The school board is also planning to implement a drug-screening program for students participating in extracurricular activities and those driving to and from school.

A task force has been created to determine the scope of the program that is slated to be implemented at the start of the 2004-2005 school year.

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld that drug testing of students involved in a range of extracurricular activities is not an unreasonable search under the 4th amendment.

Although the ruling has recently been challenged, Mongell said the task force plans to move forward to develop a “fair” policy that will allow drug testing for those participating in sporting programs and activities and driving to school.

Board member Charles Wilson, who serves as the chairman of the safety and security committee, said the use of a drug-sniffing dog and drug screening initiatives are valid, but the value of the programs will be determined when there is no longer a drug problem in the district.

“We’re not trying to punish the students, we want to help them,” said Wilson.