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Bill 833

                    Current Status

Bill Number:                      833
Type of Legislation:              General Bill GB
Introducing Body:                 Senate
Introduced Date:                  19990519
Primary Sponsor:                  Reese
All Sponsors:                     Reese
Drafted Document Number:          l:\council\bills\kgh\15719htc99.doc
Residing Body:                    Senate
Current Committee:                Education Committee 04 SED
Subject:                          School facility inspections by drug-
                                  sniffing dogs for weapons, disposition of 
                                  contraband; School Districts


                        History

Body    Date      Action Description                     Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  ______________________________________ _______ ____________
Senate  19990519  Introduced, read first time,           04 SED
                  referred to Committee


                             Versions of This Bill

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 59-1-465 SO AS TO REQUIRE NO FEWER THAN TEN INSPECTIONS OF CERTAIN SCHOOL FACILITIES BY CERTIFIED DRUG-SNIFFING DOGS AND SIMULTANEOUS RANDOM INSPECTIONS FOR EXPLOSIVES AND WEAPONS, TO PROVIDE FOR THE DISPOSITION OF CONTRABAND DISCOVERED DURING THESE INSPECTIONS, AND TO PROVIDE PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE FOR THESE INSPECTIONS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Article 5, Chapter 1, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 59-1-465. (A) Every public school in which are enrolled students in the sixth through twelfth grades must be inspected by a drug-sniffing dog on a random basis no fewer than ten separate times during the school year. At the same time, random inspections for the presence of explosives and weapons must be conducted. These inspections must be carried out under the direction of the school administration and must be conducted in classrooms, hallways, and areas where students are allowed to store personal items. These inspections may not interfere with the regular school schedule and must be made when the areas under inspection are not occupied by students. Any contraband discovered on the school premises as a result of these inspections must be turned over to a law enforcement officer of the jurisdiction in which the school is located.

(B) The searches required by this section must be conducted by private security companies licensed in this State pursuant to Chapter 17 of Title 40, and any persons actually engaged in the searches must be licensed as private detectives pursuant to that chapter. All persons involved in the drug inspections must also have had experience in handling canines in a public environment and must have had prior law enforcement experience in the area of narcotics enforcement. The canines used in the searches must have been trained by a specialized dog trainer and certified by organizations recognized by law enforcement agencies for this purpose. All canines involved must be recertified at least every three years by a recognized organization. Private security agencies conducting these searches must obtain the appropriate permits from the Department of Health and Environmental Control and United States Drug Enforcement Administration to possess controlled substances, and these agencies must maintain a policy of liability insurance of at least five million dollars."

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor and applies for school years beginning after 1998.

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