A NOSE FOR TROUBLE Dogs help keep illegal drugs in check

Above and below, Bar, a Youngstown Police Department dog, sniffs lockers for drugs at Fitch High School in Austintown at the direction of his handler, Detective Sgt. Scott White. At left, Bar rests in a hallway at the high school. Also taking part in the surprise search Monday were Rico and his handler, YPD Patrolman Steve Schiffhauer; Dino and his handler, Kim Nusser, a special agent with the state Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation; Hammer and his handler, Canfield Patrolman Rick Tarasuck; and Hurie and his handler, Austintown Patrolman Tom Collins. The dogs turned up no drugs at the school. The team then searched lockers at Wilson High School in Youngstown, and also found no drugs, White said. The searches are a deterrent for teens "on the fence" who, fearing dogs would find drugs in lockers, decide not to bring illegal substances to school, White said.