Drug Dogs Search Salem High School Classrooms

Drug dogs searched Salem High School classrooms on Friday morning as part of a cooperative effort with Salem Police.

According to the Salem School District, seven drug sniffing dogs from Salem and surrounding communities searched more than 20 classrooms in two school hallways for evidence of illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia. The search turned up nothing. No students or faculty were present in the rooms as they were searched.

This was an unannounced effort coordinated by the school’s resource officer, Kevin Swanson, and high school administrators. Officers from Londonderry, Plaistow, Hudson and Methuen, MA joined Salem officers and their dogs in this effort.

One goal of such an unannounced search, the school district said, is to help students and staff maintain a safe environment by realizing these searches can occur at any time.

The search occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m. while students were at lunch in the cafeteria. School officials stressed that no single factor contributed to the decision to bring the dogs to the school or to search specific classrooms. The search was supervised by canine officers who were accompanied by Salem High administrators.