Lynn schools drug sweep nets arrest

LYNN – Lynn Police along with the Essex County Sheriff’s Department K9 unit conducted a simultaneous drug sweep at all three public high schools Tuesday, netting one arrest of a 17-year-old student.Led by Lynn Police School Safety and Security officer Robert Ferrari and Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Rich Reilly, the two law enforcement agencies have been planning the sweep along with Lynn Public School officials for several weeks – the first time drug dogs have walked the hallways of Lynn schools.Simultaneously inspecting the lockers of nearly 4,000 students at three schools, the sweep resulted in only one arrest, that of 17-year-old Mark Edmunds, a student at Classical High School, who was arrested and charged with one count each of possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana in a school zone and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.”This was simply a drug search. Its purpose was to ensure that our high schools are safe and free from drugs and to convey in the strongest possible terms that we will not tolerate elicit drugs on Lynn school property,” said Kostan. “This is the first time we have done this in Lynn and I think it went extremely well.”The sweep took place at all three schools beginning at 9:15 Tuesday morning and parents were notified of the event via the district’s ConnectED phone system once school began.The school safety check consisted of narcotic detection trained K-9 dogs being led by their handlers through the hallways of the schools with particular attention paid to school lockers.The sweep was conducted while class was in session, and lasted about 45 minutes, during which time students were not allowed to leave their classrooms.Teams comprised of a K-9 officer, Lynn Police officer, and a school department administrator systematically checked each locker for the presence of narcotics, but did not open any locker until two K9 officers separately identified the drugs.”I think this sweep was very well organized by our law enforcement people, and I have to thank (Ferrari) along with (Lynn Police Chief John Suslak) and (Essex County Sherrif Frank Cousins) for all of their cooperation,” said Kostan. “With nearly 4,000 students we had no arrests at English or Tech, and only one at Classical High School. We decided to do all three schools at the same time so that it didn’t appear that we were targeting one specific place.”Lynn Deputy Police Chief Kevin Coppinger also called the sweep a success, given the large volume of lockers that were inspected.”An operation of this size, given the number of lockers searched and only one found to have contained contraband speaks volumes about the safety initiatives we have in place within our schools,” he said. “This being our first safety check and not knowing what would be found, the results seen today show the efforts of the School Department, School Resource Officers, parents and students are working relative to the presence of narcotics. Illegal contraband of any type will not be tolerated in our schools and I believe that we have sent that message by our cooperative efforts with those involved.”Kostan said it is important for parents and students to know that their schools are safe from drugs and the violence and addiction that tend to follow the use of illegal substances.As for the one student who was arrested Tuesday, Kostan said his punishment will depend on the charges filed against him, and the severity of the punishment levied against him when he goes to court.”We will apply whatever punishment the district deems appropriate based on the severity of the offense,” Kostan said. “Overall, I am pleased that there was only one individual arrested. That is something I view as very positive and it validates that our schools are safe and drug-free in the City of Lynn.”At the same time, I am glad to see that we were able to get the drugs that were found out of Classical High School so that those students can continue to feel safe and know they are in a drug