STUDENTS RECEIVING CANINE INTERVENTION DRUG-SNIFFING DOGS BEING USED TO SEARCH SCHOOLS.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

SUN VALLEY - For Buddy, searching the classroom at Francis Polytechnic High School was just a fun game.

But what the drug-sniffing Labrador retriever found in a student's backpack was anything but funny: a glass marijuana pipe, a small bag of suspected marijuana and a bottle of prescription drugs.

Buddy and Kimba, both black Labs, are the newest addition to the Los Angeles School Police Department. The dogs - and their handlers - will be formally introduced at a news conference at 10 a.m. today at school police headquarters, 1330 W. Pico Blvd.

Since the dogs' introduction two weeks ago, the department has made several arrests, both on school grounds as well as in cars parked on school perimeters, said Sgt. Luis Smith, canine supervisor.

``We don't believe the dogs are going to stop kids using drugs,'' he said. ``What we're trying to do is provide a more drug-free environment for the kids who just want to go to school and learn.''

In addition to performing random drug searches in schools, the dogs will also visit elementary schools for drug awareness programs, and be cross-trained in gun detection and search-and-rescue. Eventually, the force hopes to add four more drug-sniffing dogs.

The Polytechnic student whose bag contained the suspected drug contraband was taken to the principal's office for further questioning. Students found with illegal substances will be prosecuted through the court system, depending on their age, what was found and how much, Smith said.

Before Buddy found the suspected drugs, students in the classroom were escorted outside the room. While some grumbled about the inconvenience of the search, others praised the district's effort to rid school campuses of illicit drugs and weapons.

``It's good,'' said Renato Aguirre, 16, of Pacoima. ``It shows us that we're safe, that we're protected by the cops.''

LAUSD police officials said they decided to form the canine unit because it was more efficient and less costly than contracting with an outside agency. The Baldwin Park Unified School District also has a canine unit, but most districts hire private services, as the LAUSD used to do, Smith said.

The district also decided to form a canine program because a dog, with its super-acute sense of smell, can locate drugs faster than humans, allowing for speedier and less-intrusive searches.

``If we're searching lockers, the kids won't even know,'' Smith said. ``A dog can search an entire floor of lockers in about five minutes.''

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(1 -- 2) Above, Kevan Otto, a K-9 handler for the Los Angeles School Police Department, watches as his 16-month-old Labrador retriever, Buddy, sniffs out backpacks at Polytechnic High School on Friday morning. At right, Otto checks the backpack, which contained the pipe on the desk.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News