Lynn school safety check comes up clean

LYNN – All three Lynn public high schools were found to be clean of narcotics and weapons during a safety check last month, the Lynn Police Department has announced.Police conducted the safety check Feb. 26 at Lynn English, Lynn Classical and Lynn Vocational and Technical Institute using 20 K-9 units trained to detect narcotics and explosives or gunpowder traces. The dogs were led through the school cafeterias, bathrooms, gyms, common areas and in front of lockers, police said in a release.An announcement that a safety check was being conducted allowed for the students to remain in their classrooms while the checks occurred. According to protocol, lockers were opened only after two dogs separately alerted officers to an illegal substance in a given locker. No narcotics or weapons were found in the three schools, which have a total of more than 4,000 lockers.”An operation of this size, given the number of lockers searched with no contraband found, speaks volumes about the safety initiatives we have in place within our schools,” Lynn Police Chief Kevin Coppinger said. “The results seen during this safety check show the efforts of the School Department, the Lynn Police Department, the parents and the students are working relative to the presence of narcotics and weapons.”Coppinger said this was the second safety check of the city’s schools; during the first, one student was arrested for narcotics possession and distribution.