Gun-Wielding Cops Conduct Drug Sweep At School

Looks like the War On Some Drugs has just gotten a little bit scarier:

Surveillance video from Stratford High School in Goose
Creek shows 14 officers, some with guns drawn, ordering students to lie
the ground as police searched for marijuana. Students who didn't comply
with the orders quickly enough were reportedly handcuffed. Police didn't find any criminals in the armed sweep, but they say search dogs smelled drugs on a dozen backpacks.

Nice way to put it, huh? That's DEA-speak for "We pulled our guns on
kids because we thought they might've had some drugs but it turned out
they didn't".
Whoops.
But here's the craziest part - an online poll on the above web page
asks:

During a drug sweep at a South Carolina high school,
police went in with guns and ordered students on the floor. They
handcuffed those who didn't comply. No drugs were found. Is this type
of search necessary to stop drugs in schools?

• Yes. It sends a strong message to students
• No. This much force was unnecessary.

As
of 10:10 PM today, out of 13,419 votes 4,662 people voted "Yes". That's
35%.
Think about that for a second.
35% think it's perfectly reasonable for cops to point loaded guns at
kids and make them lie on the ground while dogs search their stuff.
What kind of person approves of pulling a gun on a kid because he might have some pills?

Update:
CNN has posted a video of the raid.

Posted by flow Frazao on November 8, 2003 at 10:10 PM | Permalink