Eight police dog teams sweep Stonington High School
Stonington — Eight police dogs and their handlers swept Stonington High School on Tuesday morning as part of an ongoing effort by school officials and police to ensure campus safety.
This was the first time this school year the operation has taken place. It has occurred on other occasions in the past.
Police Captain Todd Olson said K-9 teams from Stonington, Westerly, Waterford, Norwich, Montville and East Lyme all participated. The sweep began about 8:30 a.m and lasted about 10 minutes.
Olson said multiple K-9 teams are used so officers can get in and out of the school quickly with minimal disruption to the school day. Students remain in classrooms while the dogs search the hallways, common areas and parking lots.
Olson pointed out that school officials invited police into the school to conduct the sweep as they have in the past.
He said the dogs did not locate any drugs in the school, but one of the dogs indicated there were drugs in a car in one of the parking lots. Police continue to investigate that incident.
During the sweep, Principal Mark Friese sent out the following email to parents: “Good Morning, This morning we have exercised Board of Education policy by bringing in the Stonington PD canines to conduct a safety sweep of our campus. A safe learning environment is our goal and this effort is in support of that goal. Thank you for your support."
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