Redlands Council Asked to Approve Police K9 Drug Detection at Schools

Redlands police are recommending the city council approve an agreement Tuesday with Redlands Unified School District to pay police for a "Narcotics Detection Canine Program."

If the city council approves the agreement, the district would pay the city $5,760, a staff report prepared by Redlands police Sgt. John Moore states.

The district justifies the need for a drug-sniffing dog program as "an effort to control crime and possession of drugs on school campuses in the Redlands Unified School District," Moore said in his report.

In previous years, the district has contracted with private companies and with Redlands police, according to Moore.

In 2008, the district contracted with a San Diego company that charged $320 per visit to provide narcotic detecting canines on school campuses in Redlands, Moore said.

"During the last three school years, 2009/10 thru 2011/12, the RUSD contracted with the Redlands Police Department for narcotic detection canine services," Moore said in his report.

School district administrators "were pleased with the service the Redlands Police Department provided" the last three school years, Moore said.

The school district wants to contract with the police department again, with 18 school site visits by the "Narcotic Detection Team," Moore said. The visits will be to conduct random checks for narcotics, with a handler and trained dog allowed "to 'sniff' classrooms, desks, backpacks, lockers, etc. when no students are present," Moore said

Each visit is expected to last three to four hours, Moore said.

The district will pay the city $320 per visit, pursuant to a consulting agreement, Moore said.

"This program benefits the Police Department by providing additional opportunities for the canine and handler to hone their skills in the area of narcotics detection," Moore said. "The more a canine team works, the better they become at detecting narcotics, thereby increasing the value of the Team and the program to the City."

This school program would not negatively impact the normal operations of the police department's canine program, Moore said.

"The needs of the Department in relation to the use of the canine will be given priority over the scheduling of the above mentioned site visits," Moore said.

The Redlands city council meets at 5 p.m. Tuesday May 1 and begins with closed session. Open session is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Meetings are in City Council Chambers, at 35 Cajon St., Suite 2.