From CNN.com:

Police, school district defend drug raid

(CNN)--After complaints from parents and students, police in Goose Creek, South Carolina, defend their decision Friday to send a team of officers, some with guns drawn, into a high school earlier this week for a drug raid tha turned up no drugs.

The Berkeley School District north of Charleston, South Carolina, also defended its role in the incident, whichc has triggered an outrage among some in the community.

Stratford High School students describe Wednesday's incident as frightening.

"They would go put a gun up to them, push them against the wall, take their book bags and search them," Aaron Sims, 14, told CNN affiliste WCSC. "They just came up and got my friend, not even saying anything or what was going to happen. ... I was scared."

Sims said his mother was "a little angry," but his father understood and "thought it was necessary."

Lt. Dave Aarons of the Goose Creek Police Department said the raid, the first the department has done at a school, followed a police investigation into drug activity that began after a student informed school staff about drug sales on schol property.

Police monitored video from school surveillance cameras for several days and "observed consistent, organized drug activity," he said. "Students were posing as lookouts and concealing themselves from the cameras."

When the principal saw more of the same suspicious activity on the school surveillsnce video, he asked the officers to respond, Aarons said.

Within 30 seconds, officers had to move to "safely secure 107 students who were in that hallway," Aarons said. "During that time some of the officers did unholster in a down- ready position, so that they would be able to respond if the situation became violent."

"The school also designated faculty to secure the hallway to keep other students from entering," Aarons said.

Anytime narcotics and money are involved he said there is "the reasonable assumption that weapons will be involved. ... Our primary concern was the saftey of the students (and) everyone else involved."

'School had no knowledge that weapons would be drawn'

Aarons said "12 to 14 students" were placed in handcuffs or plastic flexcuffs "due to their failure to respond to repeated police instructions to get on their knees with their hands on their heads," after one of the lieutenants explained to the students what was going on.

A canine unit eas brought in and a the dog responded positively to 12 book bags, which were searched by school officials, said David Borrow, a secondary school supervisor for the Berkeley School District. But no drugs were found and no arrests were made.

"the school had no knowledge that weapons would be drawn," Barrow said. "We understand students' and parents' and the community's concerns about this particular search. We will work internally and with the local law enforcement to be sure that these issues are adressed."

Still, he said, the school was concerned about possible drug sales on campus, and believed action was necessary.

Jared Weeks, 14, told WCSC that police were aggressive.

"They kind of pushed us against the wall and started searching us," Weeks said. "I didn't think that was called for."

Weeks said he was "kind of nervous," but not scared "because I didn't have anything to hide."

He said there are a lot of drugs in the school, but this is sort of raid was unnecessary. "There is certain people that you know sell drugs," he siad. "They could have just searched those people."

Aarons said police believed the drug dealing students were tipped off.

"I don't think it was an overreaction," he said of the raid. "I believe it was on tactical method by which we could safely approach the probelm to ensure that everybody was safe."

He said the incident is being reviewed, as is every police operation.

Find this article at:
hhtp://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/11/07/school.raid/index.html

What do you think about this drug raid? Was it truley necessary? Why or why not? The put GUNS on the students, without clearly explaining what was going on. I think searching for drugs in schools is necessary, but, I think, weapons, and pushing students against the wall is unnecessary. And anyone of those police could have shot one of those students.
*sorry for my typing errors*
-Sunset

That story is why one should not be retarded and accept random pills without doing research.

ever since i've been going to my school (two years) the police have only come once. here's an example of why i think they should come more often. One night at a football game some girl brought some speed. She gave it to my BEST FRIEND who said she had a headache (not knowing what it was) and she took one. a few minutes later one of my other, really stupid, friends took SEVEN....they weren't the only ones, there was 3 guys, and 5 girls who took them. i told my mom b/c i didnt want my friend to die. she called the police and they called the ambulances. on the way to the hospital my best friend DIED and they had to revive her twice. I cried so hard when they took her off in that ambulance you wouldnt even know. the worst part about this whole story is that the girl who brought the pills had them at school. the other kids who took them had to get their stomachs pumped... i guess the whole point of this story is that this whole thing probably could've been prevented if they would be more cautios at my school..welp thnx for reading this..GOD BLESS...choctawsblondie08

I go to college in the Charleston area, so I've been seeing a lot media coverage on this. I know that school drug raids are necessary, but this one went too far. Not to mention, the police didn't even find any drugs. The parents of the students are irate, and I think a lot of changes will be made with regards to school drug raids from now on, regardless of the fact that the police and the school district still defend the raid.

at my school they searched us for drugs razor blades etc my friend was so scared he swiched classes...

It think its good that they would have a drug raid but it is not nessassary that they would have the police come and force them against the walls and everything. it could of very well spared someones life if they found drugs and stuff but i think it was not right for them to like hurt the people! Love ya God Bless!