School Lockers Searched, 2 Arrested

Police Chief Carl F. Sferrazza said Enfield's dogs Nico and Promise, were joined by dogs from Vernon, Windsor Locks, East Windsor, Suffield, Manchester and Hartford police departments, as well as the state ...

[Hope]

We have over three thousand kids in the three schools that the dogs searched for illegal drugs in Enfield. Who do you expect to believe that only two students were guilty of having the contraband in school? Drugs are a very serious problem in this town, and the sooner we honestly acknowlege and confront it the sooner we may be able to make a small difference. The only way this is going to happen is to allow the adult staff who have a reason to suspect a student is involved in this insidious activity, to report it to the administration and to the parents of the student. What kind of parent would not want to be informed if their child was flirting with this kind of danger. Drugs are dangerous! Drugs are addictive! Addiction is a serious disease! The school nurse spends more time monitoring our students for head-lice, scoliosis, pink eye, etc, than intervening with the students who are still in the experimental stage of drugs. The reason I was told was that the professional staff must protect their careers and the assertion was that the perfect parents with perfect kids would bring on a law suit for defamation of character. This is so shallow and ridiculous. We are becoming aware that even our presidents were involved with drugs in their school days and their career ambitions were not hindered. I find it ironic that more money is spent, more effort is made to clean up our athletic fields and de tox our science labs from mercury spills, than to de tox our schools from these dangerous chemicals which are floating around our corridors, campuses, or wherever kids gather. How or why would we prioritize protecting the problem with more effort than protecting our students. The only reason I can come up with is so-called "pride". By keeping the probem quiet and miniminized we are all guilty everytime we hear of another tragedy caused by drug abuse. Let the police and their dogs work the communities and suberbs and go after the big dealers and give the adults the right to monitor the kids and their conduct while in school. Teenagers are immature, curious, and so vulnerable to peer pressue, but that does not make them or their families any less valuable. Drugs and the adverse effect of addicton can devalue a young person and and shatter a whole family. We cannot afford the luxury of denying the problem, and why in the world would our police chief in Enfield give the impression that we do not have a drug problem in our schools.

[Duhhhhh]

Hope wrote:

We cannot afford the luxury of denying the problem, and why in the world would our police chief in Enfield give the impression that we do not have a drug problem in our schools.

Where did you see that he is denying there is a problem? I didn't see that in the article, nor have I ever heard him say that, unlike prior police chiefs in this town who would never admit there was a drug problem. At least the current chief is willing to admit there is an issue and they are trying to do something about it. Get your facts straight.

[Hope]

Duhhhhh wrote:

<quoted text> Where did you see that he is denying there is a problem? I didn't see that in the article, nor have I ever heard him say that, unlike prior police chiefs in this town who would never admit there was a drug problem. At least the current chief is willing to admit there is an issue and they are trying to do something about it. Get your facts straight.

If you had read the local Journal Inquirer last night you would have seen the exact quote (below). I went back to their web page just now to retrieve it for you, but the entire article has been removed, and I have no idea why. Below is the message I emailed to our police chief and my apologies to him if I underestimated his effort on confronting this problem. But, I know I did read in the other newspaper that he said drugs are not a serious problem in our town, and it just floored me!

Dear Mr. Sferrazza,
After reading the article in the J.I. just now regarding the drug sweep at the J.F.K. Jr. High School and seeing your quote that there is not a serious drug problem in Enfield, and this sweep was mainly for prevention, I have to comment! Officer Sferrazza...please level with the parents in this town about the severity of this problem. Why is this problem protected with a greater effort than protecting our kids?

[nakedlobo]

I would agree that there is probably a huge drug problem in your school (not that your school is any different than any other school in the nation). You have 2 students smoking some pot and probably 40% of the other kids being doped by their parents (Lithium, prozac, or whatever flavor of the year it is this year). There is a serious problem here. When will the parents stop doping their kids and start parenting?
I think the searches are a bit much when we are concentrating our efforts at the wrong focal point. The problem is not a couple kids smoking pot. The problem starts with the family unit.

[Hiram Abif]

The town is going to get sued. I hope the town gets sued for about $5 Million.

[matthew cunningham]

We have in this nation a document called the Constitution. In this document is a little known, and little remembered section called The Bill of Rights. The Fourth Amendment of that bill protects all citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures. The only legal way to conduct any search is to first obtain a warrant, and this must be based on probable cause. The students of any school are not exempt to these constitutional guarantees. What makes this case particularly sad is that it was supported by school officials, and these people supposedly hold advanced college degrees. Did they learn anything of history in all their studies? Somebody in Enfield had better read the Bill of Rights. This action is outrageous, and it is sad. The searches were illegal, and under our laws, they are inadmissible in any court.The charges should be dismissed, and those students should sue the town for allowing this gross violation of their civil rights.

[nakedlobo]

Matthew, I hate to disagree with you because I think the 4th Amendment is going out the door quite quickly. But the thing to keep in mind is that the property and lockers are owned by the school. If the school wants to search them, then they have that right. These particular searches were, in fact, legal. The kids should not have drugs at school.
If the searches were conducted at the homes of the students, then that would be a violation of the 4th Amendment. When you decide to go into the school, then you forfeit many of your personal rights.

[Hope]

nakedlobo wrote:

I would agree that there is probably a huge drug problem in your school (not that your school is any different than any other school in the nation). You have 2 students smoking some pot and probably 40% of the other kids being doped by their parents (Lithium, prozac, or whatever flavor of the year it is this year). There is a serious problem here. When will the parents stop doping their kids and start parenting?
I think the searches are a bit much when we are concentrating our efforts at the wrong focal point. The problem is not a couple kids smoking pot. The problem starts with the family unit.

Please be careful how you place judgment on the family units. Have you ever heard of karma? There are no perfect parents out there, but few who deserve to deal with the tragedy of drug addiction. This is a big problem, too big for families to confront alone. That is exactly why we need the schools and communities to help. When the Bill of Rights were given to us, no one ever dreamed that we would have the insidious dangers such as mind-altering, addictive drugs lurking in our school house doors.

[nakedlobo]

Karma is my friend... While, yes, there are no perfect parents out there, there are several of us who are actively involved in our kids' lives. If the family unit were stronger across the nation, then there would be less trouble with addictive drugs lurking in our school houses.
Hope, you are correct with one thing... the progress of the assistance that should be offered. First it should be the families. If that is unsuccessful, then it would be the community's duty to help. Then we could proceed to local government, and so on.
The problem today is that the U.S. tends to skip the community and all other groups that can help and simply pass a federal regulation. There is no need for the federal government to get involved. Let the smaller units who are more familiar with the individual make the effort.
Now, Hope, also realize that all they found in that whole school is a small bag of weed and some paraphernalia. If that is the biggest drug scourge in that school, then it is doing quite well. Weed is not the evil menace that the government insists that it is. There are several legal chemicals that can be purchased over-the-counter that are significantly more harmful.

[Mac]

If the students of these schools have any guts and integrity, they will boycott the schools until the Board of Education agrees that the police will NOT be allowed on school grounds again for a sweep such as this. Enfield has truly become a police state such as Nazi Gremany and the society described in Orwell's 1984. Arise and take back your rights and dignity!

[Enfield Resident]

Hiram Abif wrote:

The town is going to get sued. I hope the town gets sued for about $5 Million.

Uh, sued for what?

[Enfield Resident]

matthew cunningham wrote:

We have in this nation a document called the Constitution. In this document is a little known, and little remembered section called The Bill of Rights. The Fourth Amendment of that bill protects all citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures. The only legal way to conduct any search is to first obtain a warrant, and this must be based on probable cause. The students of any school are not exempt to these constitutional guarantees. What makes this case particularly sad is that it was supported by school officials, and these people supposedly hold advanced college degrees. Did they learn anything of history in all their studies? Somebody in Enfield had better read the Bill of Rights. This action is outrageous, and it is sad. The searches were illegal, and under our laws, they are inadmissible in any court.The charges should be dismissed, and those students should sue the town for allowing this gross violation of their civil rights.

Read New Jersey vs TLO...469 U.S. 235... Supreme Court says this is absolutely constitutional. Nice try.

[BETS]

Mac wrote:

If the students of these schools have any guts and integrity, they will boycott the schools until the Board of Education agrees that the police will NOT be allowed on school grounds again for a sweep such as this. Enfield has truly become a police state such as Nazi Gremany and the society described in Orwell's 1984. Arise and take back your rights and dignity!

People, please don't be influenced by this idiot. He is a cop hater. He knows everything about the State Police and will soon know everything about Glastonbury Police, and I'm sure Enfield is next. Truth is, he's just a cop hater and to compare Enfield to Nazi Germany just shows what a schmuck he really is. Again as usual, his post has nothing to do with the article!

[You Ignorant Fools]

Mac wrote:

If the students of these schools have any guts and integrity, they will boycott the schools until the Board of Education agrees that the police will NOT be allowed on school grounds again for a sweep such as this. Enfield has truly become a police state such as Nazi Gremany and the society described in Orwell's 1984. Arise and take back your rights and dignity!

Thank God you're not teaching our kids. Good grief.

[Mac]

You Ignorant Fools wrote:

<quoted text> Thank God you're not teaching our kids. Good grief.

Maybe I am.

[Mac]

BETS wrote:

<quoted text>People, please don't be influenced by this idiot. He is a cop hater. He knows everything about the State Police and will soon know everything about Glastonbury Police, and I'm sure Enfield is next. Truth is, he's just a cop hater and to compare Enfield to Nazi Germany just shows what a schmuck he really is. Again as usual, his post has nothing to do with the article!

Sure it does. Are you unable to read English?

[BETS]

Mac wrote:

<quoted text>
Sure it does. Are you unable to read English?

Great answer, you got me! Now, tell me how Nazi Germany and Enfield are alike or will become alike? You seem so unhappy here. Why don't you move to another country like..China. There you can complain about schools, cops, and Hitler. That's only until they find you.

[Hope]

nakedlobo wrote:

Karma is my friend... While, yes, there are no perfect parents out there, there are several of us who are actively involved in our kids' lives. If the family unit were stronger across the nation, then there would be less trouble with addictive drugs lurking in our school houses.
Hope, you are correct with one thing... the progress of the assistance that should be offered. First it should be the families. If that is unsuccessful, then it would be the community's duty to help. Then we could proceed to local government, and so on.
The problem today is that the U.S. tends to skip the community and all other groups that can help and simply pass a federal regulation. There is no need for the federal government to get involved. Let the smaller units who are more familiar with the individual make the effort.
Now, Hope, also realize that all they found in that whole school is a small bag of weed and some paraphernalia. If that is the biggest drug scourge in that school, then it is doing quite well. Weed is not the evil menace that the government insists that it is. There are several legal chemicals that can be purchased over-the-counter that are significantly more harmful.

The two lockers were just the tip of the iceberg, and all the kids are laughing today! But, at least maybe those two kids will think twice about their behavior the next time they feel like joining the crowd. If community, churches, neighborhoods or even family and friends helped with this problem, that would be ideal. But my observation has been that because the subject matter is too untidy, to avoid gossip and stigma everyone thinks that the respectful thing to do is to keep it quiet and a family secret. It is so insidious...as long as you can keep it out of the public square there is nothing wrong with it. It only becomes wrong when other people find out about it. You sound as though you have no problem with pot. Makes me wonder if you use it? If you do, did it ever occur to you that the same person who is selling it to you is also selling it to our kids? And, if he/she is in it for the money, I would imagine he is also selling the far more dangerous drugs as well. Let's hope your Karma continues to be your friend. I would be careful though, as I have had to eat a lot of my words!!!

[nakedlobo]

Hope:
You are ASSUMING that the two lockers were the tip of the iceberg. You are ASSUMING that the kids are all laughing today. You also assume that the two kids will be learning a lesson that is not obvious to someone that age. Sure, to an adult getting legal charges may make us change or realize our mistakes. But children don’t respond the same way. Children need to be taught what is correct and what is not. They do not need to be exposed to the legal system for simple possession of pot (or paraphernalia).
Many years ago I was one of these kids. One of my friends got busted for having a pot pipe at school that I had made him. We both got suspended (even though I made the pipe and gave it to him outside of school – and it was clean when I gave it to him). This didn’t teach me that the friend wasn’t a good influence. This just taught me to resent the authority (as it appears to be with some of the posters in this thread) and to look for ways to hide it better.
My statements earlier in this thread are based on this… the family unit is the one responsible for helping the kids these days. Your argument saying that families keep secrets is not a valid argument. That is a functional problem with individual family units. Just because one family unit cannot manage their problems does not mean that the government should step in and impact the family functionality for all people in this country.
Whether or not I smoke pot is a moot point. Did it ever occur to me that the pot sellers are the ones selling to our kids? Come on. That is common sense. I personally do not believe that it is the responsibility of the pot dealers to not sell to our kids. I believe that it is the responsibility of the family to teach our kids not to smoke pot. This is an adverse effect of the criminalization of pot. If it were legal, the government COULD then come in and say that you must be 18 to purchase it. Since it is illegal, the government has less control.
Your argument that says those who sell pot are all also selling more dangerous drugs is bogus as well. Most people who believe in the legalization of pot do not encourage the legalization of harder drugs.
Do you realize that prior to 1915 substances were not illegal? There was not some great scourge back then. There were people who used pot and most didn’t. There wasn’t a huge stigma on the use of pot (or tobacco or alcohol or anything else).
The propaganda that has been released in this country due to this never-ending war on drugs has warped most people’s minds to believe that pot leads to coke. Well, the logic they are using is this: If someone uses coke, they ask if they started using pot. In most cases, this is true. But to use this logic to assume that pot use leads to coke use is false. Let’s think about it. Let’s ask everyone who has ever been in a car accident if they have had sex. If this is true, then having sex leads to car accidents. The two are not related. We have to be careful with our “facts.” As Mark Twain once said,“There are three types of lies. Lies, damn lies, and statistics.”

[Hope]

Duhhhhh wrote:

<quoted text> Where did you see that he is denying there is a problem? I didn't see that in the article, nor have I ever heard him say that, unlike prior police chiefs in this town who would never admit there was a drug problem. At least the current chief is willing to admit there is an issue and they are trying to do something about it. Get your facts straight.

This is the chief of police quote - not mine: From the Journal Inquirer Dec. 10. I hear quite a different story.
"It's not that there's a serious drug problem in schools," Sferrazza "explained. "We're just focusing on prevention."
Schools Superintendent John Gallacher could not be reached for comment Friday.