Southeast : Dog Has His Nose on Anti-Drug Effort
Clancy the 4-year-old Labrador retriever spends his weekdays sniffing students’ lockers and backpacks in Long Beach.
His keen nose is part of a new push in southeast Los Angeles County to keep drugs and guns away from high school campuses. By allowing the dog onto campuses, officials hope to deter students from bringing illegal possessions to school.
Nearly a month ago in Cerritos and Artesia, an 18-month-old Belgian Malinois was put to work sniffing lockers on stage during school assemblies in a demonstration that school officials hope will instill fear in students who might consider hiding drugs in their lockers. The program is similar to one started two years ago in La Mirada schools.
“The program is basically set up as a deterrent,” said Ted Teach, a child welfare coordinator with the ABC Unified School District.
Clancy, on the other hand, was purchased by a Long Beach anti-gun group to walk the halls at one or two Long Beach schools each day. He sometimes finds marijuana residue, but little else, said his handler, Long Beach Police Detective Curtis Shur.
“We’re encouraged by the [amounts of drugs] we don’t find,” Shur said.
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