Advocates of police raids at schools in search of illegal drugs cite the need to "send the message" that substance abuse -- and dope dealing -- will not be tolerated on campus. No reasonable person should oppose such a goal. But many reasonable people are loudly and rightly opposing the excessive means employed by the Goose Creek Police Department last week in an early-Wednesday morning drug raid on Stratford High School.
During the raid, which ultimately resulted in no arrests, officers drew guns, handcuffed approximately a dozen students, terrified many others (more than 100 were in the hallway where it took place) and infuriated many of their parents and other adults, sending the wrong message in the ill-advised process.
Ninth Circuit Solicitor Ralph Hoisington, after consulting with Berkeley County Sheriff Wayne DeWitt, has prudently asked the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate possible police misconduct in this operation. But many of those who have viewed that tape showing those police with guns drawn and teenagers on the floor have already seen enough.
The outpouring of public disapproval, from Goose Creek and beyond (the tape has aired repeatedly on national networks), is clearly exhibited in letters on this page. As one of the letter writers puts it, "Young people will not develop a respect for law by seeing law enforcement officials acting badly. They need to hear our leaders honestly articulate what is right and what is wrong, even when it is the adults who are wrong."
A day after the raid occurred, Goose Creek police Lt. Dave Aarons defended the raid, telling our reporter that those guns were drawn as "a matter of officer safety." He added that parents often fail to understand police tactics.
However, Goose Creek Mayor Michael Heitzler told us that after reviewing the tape of the raid Monday, he is "very concerned about the whole thing" and doesn't like the idea of police pulling guns at a school. He added, however, "I'm not going to try to second-guess the police." He said he would wait for the results of the SLED investigation before deciding upon any appropriate response by the city.
One appropriate response that comes to mind would be the assurance that Goose Creek students would not again be subjected to such an over-the-line police raid.
As Solicitor Hoisington told our reporter: "I don't think there's anything wrong at all with law enforcement addressing a problem in a high school, but I have serious concerns about the need for restraining students and drawing weapons. I don't want to send my child to a school and find out guns are drawn on them. I certainly don't want them hog-tied as part of a sweeping investigation."
The solicitor is obviously not alone in that opinion. Proper police action can and should be taken to help keep drugs out of our schools. But such police action must be taken within the bounds of reason, lest our students learn the wrong lesson.
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