'SAVING' THE CHILDREN

Annie checked in with more on the North Carolina high school raid. It turns out it wasn't a commando style sweep, it was a long-term sting operation.

A five-month undercover investigation ended Wednesday with the arrest of 50 Alamance-Burlington high school students on charges of selling illegal and prescription drugs. School officials initiated the investigation because of reports of increasing drug use on campuses and survey results that showed the community's growing concern over the situation.

Sgt. David Moore, who oversees Greensboro police officers stationed in Guilford County schools, said he doesn't recall any other local school system going to such lengths in his 17 years on the force.

There's an interesting discussion on the subject going on at the WXII12's forum. There's a frightening amount of support for the action on the board. Sis weighed in with a brilliant post.

I am so distressed to see yet another example of how this "war on drugs" has failed us. We now have 49 "criminals" who's lives will be forever branded with this "crime".

I do not use drugs, drink alcohol or even smoke cigarettes, but I still believe that these school raids will do nothing to promote good citizenship or sober living amongst our young people. As in the 60's and 70's when I was growing up, these actions will only further alienate our youth and create an environment of mistrust.

1)Police have no business in the schools except for the most extreme situations in which lives are in immediate danger.

2)We need successful people from the community to become involved in our young peoples' lives through career days and mentoring programs. Give these kids something real to aim for.

3) All parents who are whining and complaining-- when was the last time you went to a PTA meeting or school board meeting?

It's not enough to feed and clothe your children, you must also be involved in other aspects of their lives. You have to work, you don't have time--I say nonsense! Make time, they are your children and should be the most important people in your life. They don't need a new pair of high dollar sneaker as much as they need your love and support--believe me, that will carry them a whole lot farther than those sneakers ever could.

4) Community members--so, you don't have children in school anymore? Neither do I, but it doesn't stop me from remaining involved in the school system. After all, these same children will one day be making policies that affect me in my old age. I am not that old yet, I still work but I am involved in a mentoring program at my high school. I try to keep an eye on the local news and occasionally attend meetings just to keep abreast of what is happening in my community. BOTTOM LINE: Our children are our most precious resource and we must show them how valuable they are by our guidance and support.

I submitted a comment myself, but I have a feeling mine won't make it past the moderator. They screen them first.

I'm struck in reading this discussion that so many of you think this was a positive action. I'm curious as to what you think it accomplished. Do you honestly believe this invasion will have eliminated drugs in these teenagers lives? Like tomorrow they'll go to school and won't be able to get any?

The government spends 40 billion of your tax dollars every year to prevent drugs from getting into your schools in the first place. The number of kids caught up in this dragnet would suggest they are not having any problem obtaining them and that the current strategy of interdiction and punishment has failed. Kids are using and in some cases abusing drugs just as teenagers have for decades.

Police actions against young people only create an atmosphere of intimidation in which those who have a drug problem will fear to seek help and treating teenagers like criminals will only drive them to secrecy. Drug abuse among our young people is a growing and serious problem. Health and honest education programs would serve them better.

Forget the social costs for a moment though and look at the financial cost of this to you as a taxpayer. How much did the sting operation and subsequent raid cost to run? I suspect it would be in tens of thousands of dollars. Add to that the court costs to prosecute the ruination of 49 young lives. Again, tens of thousands of dollars (check your local judge's salary alone - it's public record).

Say 20 of those kids end up doing jail time. In 1996 the average cost per inmate in NC was $25,000 a year. So a conservative estimate of the basic cost of this operation is say $600,000 out of your tax money. Add to that the lost revenues that would have come when these kids got jobs and paid their tax money in, never mind how much trickle down money could have come from JamesOn's NBA salary.

If that money had been spent on direct aid to the school, such as restoring arts and music programs that I would guess have been all but eliminated in that school as they have across the country, it would have done far more to solve the problem. Busy kids are much less likely to do drugs.

Not to mention that those undercover officers could have been out solving violent crimes instead of spying on kids. Teenage drug abuse is a symptom, not the cause of the drug problem.

Can anyone here honestly say they believe it can be solved by arresting children?

There is no denying that schools have a problem.

According to an annual state report on school crime and violence, drug possession ranks consistently in the top three offenses. The report tracks only possession of a controlled substance, not intent to sell. Possession of a weapon and assault on school personnel are the other two most-reported offenses.

Last school year, drug possession was the top offense, making up 38 percent of the 8,493 incidents reported statewide by school systems. Alcohol is reported separately.

The trouble is trying to solve it with police actions will only teach kids to be better criminals, not better citizens.