11/23/2009 6:00:00 AM Dollars and Scents Drug dog’s skills pay off at KHS
JC AMBERLYN/Miner
Deputy Kerry Schanaman and K-9 Narcotics Detection Officer Raidin at Kingman High School Friday. Here, Raiden alerts to a narcotic that was placed in an unused locker earlier for a demonstration of his detection skills. Click here to purchase this photo
KINGMAN - Kingman High School's newest employee spends the better part of his day lounging in a cage. He doesn't speak any English - or any other language for that matter - and he only earns about $750 a year, mostly in the form of rubber, rawhide and Ralston Purina.
But all the same, the school's happy to have him on board.
Raidin, a Belgian Malanois, is the school's first fulltime K-9 drug enforcement dog. He joined the school's staff just this year, a few months after Mohave County Sheriff's Deputy Kerry Schanaman, the school's student resource officer, acquired him at the Adlerhorst police dog academy in Riverside, Calif.
"He's 5 years old, and he used to work for L.A. in a corrections facility," Schanaman said. "When we went there, I was actually looking for a Lab, but the Labs they had were about as round as they were tall - they got tired quickly - but when Raidin came out, bam!"
Schanaman said he had first suggested getting a drug dog for KHS shortly after the last school year began in August 2008. At that time, he said, a parent had approached him and told him how his daughter had been solicited to buy drugs several times in just a single week.
Having already learned some information about "single-purpose" dogs - dogs that are only trained to locate substances, and not apprehend or subdue suspects - Schanaman pitched the idea to the school's site council, and 12 months later found himself working alongside Raidin to train him to recognize the four basic smells he would be scouring the halls of KHS for: marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.
Every Monday, Schanaman will take Raidin around the school for training, hiding a drug smell somewhere on campus, then making sure the dog locates it. To keep Raidin from getting too used to looking in one specific place, Schanaman said he will frequently switch up the places he hides the training substances.
"We'll either go search for odors in vehicles, or in buildings, a parking lot, wherever," he said.
While Raidin acts just like a normal dog most of the time, he is trained to go "on the job" whenever Schanaman pulls out his juke toy, a forearm-sized piece of rolled burlap that causes Raidin to focus intently on searching for drug odors, blocking out other distractions, even food that he might otherwise have eaten.
Schanaman said this is possible because Raidin has been trained to expect a game of catch as a reward whenever he sees the juke stick. His breed, Schanaman said, has a very high drive to play, making catch an ideal conditioning tool.
"Their play drive is stronger and they're more aggressive, so they can last longer, which is good if you've got a two-hour search going on," he said.
Schanaman said Raidin was originally trained to identify odors by having them sealed in a ball and thrown to him. Later, the ball would be hidden, and Raidin would have to find it before he could play catch again. Now, when he's searching for drugs in the hallways at school, Raidin alerts Schanaman to any positive results by pawing and scratching at whatever he senses the odor coming from.
So far this year, Raidin has caught four students who brought drugs to school: one in a locker, one in a classroom and two in backpacks. All four busts were for marijuana.
It may not sound like much, but Schanaman said Raidin isn't meant to be an enforcer so much as he is a deterrent - just knowing he's on campus is usually enough to keep most students from risking bringing drugs to school, and Raidin has large exposure with most of the student body, having visited more than 35 classrooms this year.
"He's a tool to help kids keep drugs off campus," Schanaman said. "I can't keep kids from doing drugs, but I can keep them from bringing them to school, where they might be exposed to other kids who are maybe borderline."
But Raidin is not infallible, and there are obstacles to his job, especially as it relates to students in a school setting. If, for example, Raidin smells drugs on a student, Schanaman said he pulls the dog back, since he cannot violate the student's Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure.
Likewise, while Raidin can recognize the scent of opiate and meth derivatives in certain prescription drugs, his nose cannot always penetrate the sealed plastic bottles they're stored in, and Schanaman recognizes that pill-popping is growing increasingly common among today's youth due to their easy accessibility and profit-making potential.
"I knew a kid that traded an iPod for an oxycodone," he said.
Reader Comments
Posted: Thursday, November 26, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
"THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO STOP DRUGS IN THIS COUNTRY... CONFISCATE IT, POISON IT, & PUT IT BACK OUT ON THE STREETS..."
So your plan is to poison our children in order to help them?
Let me guess, you've been sitting in front of your monitor pumping down Jack Daniels?
You need to be put back in the prison or psych ward from which you escaped, pal. That's some crazy stuff. Maybe the cops should be made aware of you. IP anyone?
Posted: Thursday, November 26, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
What do you think happens to our children when we raise them all like untrusted inmates just to catch a few druggies?
Let's send Raidin back to the prison compound and get back to nurturing trust and responsibility amoung our youth.
This so called "drug war" is getting out of hand.
Posted: Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Article comment by:
prescription drugs
Im all for the dogs in school..Gettin high an getting an education rarely work in harmony.
However, over the years the people Ive seen rally against Pot with true hate.
Have never smoked or read one piece of "real" unbiased studies on the true affects of the plant.
These same people take a handful of pills daily. Most have a medicine cabinet full of man made nightmares.
All within reach of their unsupervised children.
Then seemed shocked when their kid is found with Oxycontin at school.
Posted: Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Article comment by:
Chrissie
They should have drug dogs at Bashas or Walmart. We could eliminate a lot of the riff raff in this town if we did..:)
Posted: Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
They need to go after the adults that get it into the hands of the kids. The majority of it comes from childrens parents, then spreads from their kid to all of his friends. In some cases it's an older brother or sister, but a parent that gives their kid and his friends drugs should be put away. If they want to use and take the risk, that is one thing, but don't get kids hooked.
Posted: Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
"Annual American deaths caused by smoking marijuana= 0"
Why poison an herb that helps supress pain, and help those who truely need it.
I 100% agree on this dog to sniff out drugs in school, especially meth, heroin, etc...You go to school to learn, and get an education to better your life.
And most drug dealers, or students who have drugs on them end up out of school anyways. Let them mess up their lives, but don't let them mess up everyone elses. The dog is a good thing.
Meth, heroin, etc are man made drugs, not marijuana. But I do believe marijuana is a gate way drug. But don't act as if people have overdosed on marijuana like these other drugs the goverment had created for our soilders once apon a time.
[Deleted].
Thanks yet again our lovely Goverment!
Posted: Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
I think there should be 10 dogs in every school, because thats were the problems begins. Adults deal to the kids, the kids bring it to school and so and so forth. Anyone who has a problem with this dog comming into the school is a moron and probably part of the problem. I think everytime a kid is busted with drugs they should be punished to the full extent of the law, and then there parents and known friends should be investigated to start finding the source of the problem. Kids will ususally do it if they believe it to be ok to do, seeing it from (others) around them, yes you know what I mean. The more we can keep it out of our homes, the more we keep it out of our children.
Posted: Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Article comment by:
Glad I don't have kids to worry about
That didn't stop China from tainting baby formula and milk and giving it to kids.
Just heard that on TV this morning.
Seriously people - drugs ARE poison - DUH!!
I am so glad I don't have kids. I'd be worried sick about them all the time they're at school. They're not safe there. It was never like this when I was in school. It was safer and fun. Didn't have to worry about someone passing bad drugs (cocaine - heroine - meth) - the worse it was was marijuana.
Posted: Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Article comment by:
alumni
that dog should sniff the busses haha there was always so much weed and crap on there.
thats really good there's a drug dog. it gets the stupid in trouble and hopefully prevents surrounding friends from getting in trouble for hanging out with them.
little kids need to learn drugs are no small deal.
yay drug dog.
:)
Posted: Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
This is to Concerned American. [Deleted] you can't poison kids. The school is doing the right thing. This will stop kids in the long run from bringing drugs to school.
Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009
Article comment by:
CONCERNED AMERICAN
THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO STOP DRUGS IN THIS COUNTRY...
CONFISCATE IT, POISON IT, & PUT IT BACK OUT ON THE STREETS...
IN 6 MONTHS WE WILL HAVE NO MORE DRUG ADDICTS.
WE MUST SACRIFICE A FEW TO SAVE THE MAJORITY..
THAT IS WHAT THE MILITARY IS DOING RIGHT NOW........THINK ABOUT IT
Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
Do your homework, Pete. Education and treatment have a far greater impact on recidivism rates than incarceration.
Recidivism means repeat offenders, Pete.
Do you want to help prevent the problems we associate with drug use or make them worse, Pete?
Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009
Article comment by:
Pete
WOW As if we didnt all know that they (drugs) were there any way.The problem still seems to be the same. What difference does it make if someone is dealing drugs if the Courts dont react in a positive way and stop the seller and buyer.Sending one to drug counseling just dont work.Have we NOT seen this already that is the reason for drug dog.Mohave County has lost the battle here for sure.
Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009
Article comment by:
PL
"winning the war on drugs"? it will never be won as long as agencies of the Government are smuggling in the drugs. The only thing that will happen here is that some citizens will fall prey to these drugs, some by entrapment. And every one of them will encounter a law enforcement establishment neck-deep in entitlement-wreaking crimes.
Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
good boy raidin. Sniff boo boo sniff...
Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
"The fact that the dog alerts to a child in posession of any drug is only the beginning. He will forever have a light over his head and can be watched to make sure that what he has on him doesn't get into another childs hand."
You bet that's just the beginning, Ace. False hit or not, that kid gets tagged for the rest of his/her career at that school.
Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
The experience of having their lockers checked periodically by inquisitive dogs will help prepare the kids for their futures as citizens of a police state.
Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009
Article comment by:
ACE
Money well spent.
@rufus,
Winning the drug war in our schools does have it drawbacks due to laws, but there is always another outlet that can be used. The fact that the dog alerts to a child in posession of any drug is only the beginning. He will forever have a light over his head and can be watched to make sure that what he has on him doesn't get into another childs hand.
It only takes time, and that child will make his/her one mistake that will give them the right needed to apprehend them. Sometimes patience is the main factor to building a case.
Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009
Article comment by:
Ernest
Anything that can help keep drugs out of our schools is a good thing.
Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009
Article comment by:
Monica
Good Job Raidin!!!
Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009
Article comment by:
RUFUS
YOUR STORY IS CONFUSSING, WHATS THE POINT OF A DOG IF YOU CANT BUST A KID BECAUSE OF HIS RIGHTS. THE DOG SAYS THE KID HAS DOPE IN HIS BAG, WHAT DO YOU DO? ASK THE STUDENT TO TURN IT OVER? PLEASE.....
Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009
Article comment by:
citizen
It's been nearly 50 years since I was in middle school.I don't like drugs in school any more than I liked the development over the years where children had to remove all their clothing for P.E. "classes". More parents could home-school their children were it not for all the taxes imposed on us the last several decades.
