BLANCHESTER — Blanchester police conducted a narcotics sniff of the lockers and parking lot at Blanchester High School and Middle School Wednesday morning using specially trained dogs.
“We are happy to report that no narcotics were found,” said BPD Chief Scott Reinbolt. “This is the first year the sniffs have been extended into the middle school, but as the age of initial drug use has become lower and lower across the nation, it seemed a prudent move.”
After their work was completed, the dogs and handlers visited with students in two high school classrooms where the students had the chance to interact with the dogs and learn about their jobs. Reinbolt expressed his appreciation to building principals Rick Hosler and Amy Schaljo for their assistance and support.
“The police department has no dogs of its own, and the cost of purchase, training, continued certification and care can be prohibitive, especially in these times of shrinking government budgets,” Reinbolt said.
For several years the police department has contracted with K-9 Solutions of New Carlisle, Ohio to provide narcotics detecting and tracking dogs on an on-call basis.
“This is a very cost-effective way of making trained, experienced and certified dogs and handlers readily available for police use,” Reinbolt said. “The cost of the operation this morning will be around $1,500, but no tax dollars were spent. The cost will be paid from the Citizens for Adequate Policing Trust established earlier this year by a donation from one of our residents.”
