COSTA MESA : Drug-Sniffing Dog Shows His Stuff

Police on Wednesday demonstrated their narcotics-sniffing-canine program to four trustees of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, hoping to persuade them to use the dogs in Costa Mesa high schools this fall.

During the presentation, Niro II, a 5-year-old Belgian sheep dog, successfully found marijuana, heroin and cocaine hidden in three of 65 training lockers outside the Police Department.

“Things couldn’t have gone better,” Sgt. Karl Schuler, the department’s canine supervisor, said of the presentation.

Board President Edward Decker asked Supt. Mac Bernd to place the proposal to use drug-sniffing dogs in two Costa Mesa high schools on the trustees’ Sept. 13 agenda.

Under the proposal, police would bring three dogs onto Costa Mesa and Estancia high school campuses to sniff student lockers and walk around cars in the parking lot this fall. If drugs are found, school authorities would be notified, Schuler said.

“And if it’s a big case, they can hand it over to us,” he added.

Students and parents at Orange and Huntington Beach high schools have criticized their school districts’ use of drug-sniffing dogs, saying the policy violates students’ constitutional protection against illegal searches and seizures.

Decker said he liked the idea of allowing canines on campus because they would serve as a deterrent.

“The Police Department has thought all this out very carefully and researched it, and I think (the board) should take advantage of it,” he said.

Board members at the demonstration in addition to Decker were Vice President Judith Franco, Roderick H. MacMillian and Forrest Werner. All four have said they are interested in the proposal but want community input before they vote.

MacMillian said he likes the program but is worried that the dogs might pose a physical risk to students. But Bernd said he found Niro II to be gentle.

The city owns three drug-sniffing dogs, but only two have completed their training. The third dog that would be used for the school searches is Dingo, a German shepherd that the Orange County Probation Department would lend police, Schuler said.

Police Chief David L. Snowden first suggested using the dogs to sniff out drugs in the schools last spring while the department was in the midst of training them. The Police Department decided to give the presentation so board members would know more about the approach before formally discussing the issue.