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Students' cars are searched for drugs
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer LECANTO -- The jeans-clad girl smiled as she chatted with the security guard who ferried her by golf cart to the parking lot of Lecanto High School. But her carefree demeanor quickly dissolved when two deputies from the Citrus County Sheriff's office began rummaging through her white Chevrolet for drugs. "But I've never even smoked pot," she wailed, as the officers pulled water bottles and hiking boots from the vehicle. The search turned up nothing illegal. She brushed away tears as she was escorted back to class.
But critics say the searches are unnecessarily humiliating and may violate students' constitutional rights. "It seems to me the school is more interested in making a public statement than solving any real problem," said Randall Marshall, legal director of the Florida chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. The Lecanto search began shortly after the first bell rang about 7:40 a.m. Friday. With the help of his handler, Deputy George Phelps, Thor trotted from car to car, selecting vehicles to sniff for drugs. Thor is trained to make a quick digging motion with his paw if he picks up the scent of an illegal narcotic. The movement gives deputies probable cause to search the vehicle, said Ronda Hemminger Evan, a sheriff's office spokeswoman. Sgt. David DeCarlo, head of the special investigations unit, said it's unclear why Thor singled out the car when no drugs were inside. "Maybe, unbeknownst to her, someone got in her car after smoking marijuana and the scent rubbed off on the cloth seats," he said. Asked if the dog may have made a mistake, DeCarlo said: "The possibility exists but I highly doubt it in this case." Lt. James Martone, who oversees the county's school resource officers, said they arrested 55 students on drug charges last school year, including 27 students for illegal possession of prescription drugs, a 200 percent increase from the year before. Martone said some students arrested were accused of stealing their parents' painkillers. Others illegally distributed their own pills. Drugs seized included Ritalin, prescribed for children with attention deficit disorder but can act as a stimulant, and Xanax, an anti-anxiety medication. Thor, as well as the county's three other drug-sniffing dogs, is trained to detect the scent of prescription medication as well as marijuana and other drugs, Martone said. The Sheriff's Office plans to conduct unannounced searches at all of the county's middle and high schools throughout the year. "We are taking a proactive approach to hold our students accountable and strive for a safer environment at our schools," Martone said. But Marshall, based in the ACLU's Miami office, said that while school searches may be increasingly popular, they are also legally questionable. Especially troubling was the way the girl was taken out of school in front of her classmates Friday, he said. "That's what's so objectionable," he said. "This student was singled out for public humiliation when she hadn't done anything wrong." But Bonnie Hardiman, director of student services, said measures like the searches are necessary to combat a growing drug problem. "If we have a reasonable suspicion, then we have an obligation to look into that," she said. "I don't think the community would want us to ignore the situation." John Kline, a member of Lecanto High's advisory/enhancement council and the parent of a senior, said he's not bothered by the searches, which have been held at the school for the past few years. He said the students are aware of the possibility: Applications for student parking specifically state cars can be searched while on school property. "As a parent, I really don't have a problem with it," he said. "It's just another precaution they're taking to make our schools more safe." -- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 860-7309 or cjohnson@sptimes.com.
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