Lola and Westport Officer Marc Heinmiller conduct a search at North End Middle School in Waterbury. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo
Westport Police service dog Lola and her handler traveled to Waterbury Friday to assist in a drug sweep of the city’s middle schools and high schools, according to Sgt. Foti Koskinas, supervisor of the K-9 unit.
Lola and handler Officer Marc Heinmiller came up with two suspected locations where they found narcotic odors, Koskinas said. The information was turned over to school administrators, who in turn handle the incidents administratively within the Board of Education.
The sweeps are performed once per month on unannounced dates and locations within the school system, he said.
The Waterbury Board of Education sees this program as an effective deterrent to students bringing narcotics into the schools, Koskinas said.
The Westport unit participated at the request of the Waterbury Police Department.
