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  • Police work K-9’s through the Mt. Vernon High School parking lot as part of a routine drug check coordinated through the Mt. Vernon City Police. According to Superintendent Terry Milt, random checks may be conducted “two to three” times a year. KANDACE MCCOY/REGISTER-NEWS

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November 27, 2007

Police conduct K-9 search at high school

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By KANDACE MCCOY

kandace.mccoy@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — Officials from various K-9 police forces conducted a random drug check last Friday on the parking lot of Mt. Vernon Township High School. The random check was not to alarm students or parents, but rather a routine check that is conducted “two to three” times a year, according to MVTHS Superintendent Terry Milt.

The random check is coordinated through the Mt. Vernon City Police Department, which randomly chooses a date to do the check. Only Milt, Principal Ron Daniels and Mark Goodheart know the date. Officers from various police departments, including state, city and Centralia, will then conduct the drug check.

Milt said the check is a “deterrent” against those who might consider bringing drugs to school. “We will brings dogs in and (if there are drugs) we’ll find them,” he said.

On Friday, no drugs were found.

Five dogs were used last week during the random check, but 10 dogs are normally used for a parking lot the size of MVTHS, according to Mt. Vernon City Police Cpl. Alan Carr.

The Mt. Vernon Police Department K-9 Division was established in 1978, according to information from its Web site. Each MVPD handler must have three years of police experience and undergo an oral interview process. There are three MVPD K-9 units. The site also reports the teams perform normal patrol functions as well as respond to building searches, crowd control functions, major violent crimes and other calls of a priority nature. The division averages 250 K-9-related usages a year.

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