K-9 units, department keeping a safe environment
By Stu Merry
BHG News
There was plenty of barking going on in the hallways at Garrison High School this past Thursday. The barking was from two of the three McLean County Sheriff’s Department’s K-9 Units.
The two surprise visitors, along with six county deputies, canvassed the school parking lot, hallway lockers and locker rooms, searching for any signs of contraband as part of a school lockdown.
Lockdowns are done to exhibit visibility and presence and to let students and the public know a search can be done at anytime. "We want people to know we are there," said Chief Deputy JR Kerzmann.
Kerzmann said he sees nothing negative about the spur-of-the-moment searches. And authorities always hope for the best. "We never want to find something," Kerzmann said, adding that visibility is a very good deterrent.
There has been some public outcry that law enforcement isn’t showing enough of a presence at some county schools.
All schools in McLean County have conducted lockdowns this school year. And Kerzmann said who’s to say that it won’t happen again? It’s become standard practice.
