FARGO - A Fargo police officer says he's "surprised and disappointed" at the number of vehicles tagged for drugs during a K-9 sweep of the South High parking lot on Thursday morning.
School Resource Officer Chris Potter said the four drug-sniffing dogs used in the sweep had "hits" on a total of 11 vehicles in the school's three parking lots.
Several of those hits resulted in police seizing contraband from the vehicles, including small quantities of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and alcohol, Potter said.
Fargo police have been using K-9 units to conduct parking lot sweeps and locker sniffs for at least 10 years, and they do so at the request of the school's principal, Potter said.
In the past, there have been "very few" indications of drugs in the parking lots, he said.
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"I was a bit taken aback by how many kids so boldly parked their cars right at the school with these items inside," he said of Thursday's search.
The students who drove the contraband-carrying vehicles were all juveniles, Potter said. At least six of them were referred to juvenile court, Sgt. Mark Lykken said. They also potentially face school sanctions, which are confidential, Potter said.
"We're not just out to bust kids. It's about getting them help, too," with chemical dependency treatment, he said.
