Police K-9s conduct random searches at Lew-Port High School

Lewiston Porter Sentinel, November 15, 2008

This past Wednesday morning, four K-9 vehicles from the Lewiston Police Department, Niagara Falls PD, Lockport and Cheektowaga police rolled into the parking lot at Lewiston-Porter High School to conduct a random search of the high school for drugs. K-9 dogs searched all lockers in the school and randomly went into classrooms. At right, Lewiston Police Officer Scott Stafford and the Lewiston Police K-9 "Radar" search a bank of lockers as Middle School Principal Vincent Dell'Oso observes. LPD Chief Chris Salada reports the interior search came up negative, but one officer was alerted by his dog that a car in the parking lot had drugs in it. The search of the vehicle yielded marijuana, Naproxen pills and a dozen M-80 fireworks. The unidentified student was arrested, charged, and will have to appear in Lewiston Town Court. "We are trying to keep drugs out of our schools by conducting these random, unannounced searches at the school," said Salada. "The students are told why we are there, that if they have anything that they should not have (to) come forward, turn it in, and only face school discipline. If the officers or K-9s find anything, the student then faces school discipline and any criminal charges that apply, on top of it. We plan on several more of these searches in the future," Salada added.