Brick Memorial Undergoes Prosecutor's Office Drug Sweep: Reports

BRICK, NJ -- Canine teams from area law enforcement are conducting a drug sweep at Brick Memorial High School Wednesday morning, according to parents of students at the school.

Parents said they were notified by an automated call from the Brick Township School District that the high school was operating in lockdown mode while the search is conducted.

The unannounced sweeps, coordinated by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, have been conducted at several Ocean County high schools this school year. Brick Township High School was the subject of a sweep in October.

The sweeps, which have been conducted in middle schools and high schools in Ocean County since 2013, typically take about an hour to complete, Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor's office, has said.

The results of the sweep are never announced.

The goal, Della Fave has said, is to to promote a safe environment and deter teens from using drugs.

“We don’t want this to become a ‘what is the worst high school’ thing,” he has said.

If drugs are found, “we advise the school officials and parents so that they will be aware of an issue and can take corrective action,” Della Fave said.

The sweeps -- which happen after they are requested by school district officials -- are just one way the prosecutor's office and local law enforcement are trying to fight the drug issue in Ocean County.

Before school opened last fall, the prosecutor's office placed stickers in students' lockers throughout the county that contain a QR code they can scan to anonymously report drug issues in their schools. And the prosecutor's office has sponsored drug awareness talks by celebrities to help drive home the message.

Here's a video the prosecutor's office produced that describes the QR code: