COURT HOUSE — A ‘suspicion-less’ drug sweep of Middle Township High School
took place April 27 as students attended a morning assembly in the
Performing Arts Center.
Middle Township police, aided by two county Sheriff’s Department K-9 Units
and Prosecutor’s Office personnel, performed the search.
Parents were alerted in February that such a search — using
narcotics-detecting dogs — would possibly be done prior to the school
year’s end.
At no times did any student encounter the drug-detecting dogs, nor was the
“educational process for the students” disturbed, according to police.
Police reported that the sweep “simply involved narcotic detecting dogs
moving systematically through the school building in an attempt to uncover
illegal substances.”
Police had no specific targets and no suspects were being sought.
When units completed their search of the school building, they moved into
the school parking lot. After students vacated the PAC, the K-9 units also
searched there.
The search was conducted in accord with state Attorney General’s guidelines
regarding school searches.
A follow-up meeting with parents will be held in the “near future,” a
release stated.
Also present during the search were member of the county Prosecutor’s Office
legal division and Narcotics Strike Force.
