<p>If so, how do you feel about it? Im sure there are schools where students and parents alike are grateful to have armed police officers present. I cant believe theyre necessary at every school, in every community. </p>
<p>Our district recently announced that there will be an armed resource officer in the high school next year. This is an affluent, low-crime area, and a high-achieving school. Yes, theres a drug/alcohol problem; a few kids get high or drunk at school, and certainly many get high or drunk regularly out of school. Vague references to cyberbullying, though no concrete information has been made public. No gang activity. One student was arrested twice for assaulting other students off campus. I don’t see how introducing a weapon into the school will solve any of these problems.</p>
<p>The most serious instances I can recall at the school itself were a cheating ring 4 years ago, involving break-ins and computer tampering; and, about a decade ago, a water balloon fight on senior day that went bad. Administrators called local police, who corralled scores of seniors outside and made several arrests for disturbing the peace and whatnot. Most charges were dropped; parental pressure was a factor. Oh, and two guys blew up a toilet once. They were expelled.</p>
<p>My kids are long out, so I dont follow school news closely. I was unaware of the proposal until a committee of teachers, parents, students, and administrators UNANIMOUSLY approved it. Surveys of community members, including students, were taken before the committee decided. An overwhelming majority considered the schools safe and secure; about 8 percent felt they were not. So I dont understand the unanimity of the committee response. I feel as if I dont understand this community at all (not for the first time). The board president assured me that the resource officer will be part of our overall efforts to ensure a culture of dignity for all students. Or else?</p>
<p>There are unarmed security officers in our small town school. However, there are nearby smaller town, very poor, schools that have metal detectors and armed guards.</p>
<p>Both the district where I live and the one I where work have them. Two very different atmospheres, but both needed. We could actually use more than one where I work.</p>
<p>In our county, all hs’s have armed resource officers, and high risk ms’s have armed resource officers. They are county police officers/employees. They are great to have in the schools, and really become a great part of the community. It takes a special personality in the officer. The hard a$$ power patrol officer “Krumpke” (is that the right name of the West Side Story officer?) does not work in this role. They can’t walk the halls swinging a night stick! Our resource officers are loved, trusted, and more importantly used by the students. They are an early intervention system for the at risk students. So our experience is very good. </p>
<p>We have a resource officer that comes to school each day. I am assuming that he is armed since he is a city police officer. Haven’t heard of any kids getting accidentally shot or anything by that police officer yet. I do know that they sweep the parking lot every once in a while for drugs with drug sniffing dogs–more of a concern at an affluent school than gang fights in the hallway.</p>
<p>No they used to have a police officer (funded by the state) through the drug enforcement division though the funding only lasted a couple years. Mostly that person gave out speeding tickets to kids going too fast in the school zone and twice a year the dog would come and sniff the lockers and cars in the lot. The dog still comes two times a year according to my son. The kids protested six years ago because the dog did not sniff the teachers cars…now the dog sniffs the teacher and administrative vehicles also. There are no police or security guards armed or unarmed in the high school. I’ve had kids in the high school for over eight years and not aware of any need for an actual person assigned to “security.” But this is a non urban area. Personally, in general, I believe in our society we have too much reliance on laws and ordinances and enforcement of rules, laws and ordinances than we have emphasis on personal responsibility so I’m happy there are no “officers” in the school.</p>
<p>No resource officers at my kids’ school. It is a fairly large all girls private school, so there is little need for a police type presence. I imagine there are resource officers in all of the high schools in our school district, though I don’t know that for a fact.</p>
<p>We have them at our school-- and they have dogs. I am not sure why they are necessary, my district isn’t in a bad crime area or anything like that at all. But I didn’t mind them while I was there, not sure how my parents felt. They did not get involved in ordinary situations, our regular security was for the “ordinary”-- fighting, disciplinary problems, etc are small potatoes and the campus cops weren’t involved in that unless it was after the fact for police report. Should the extraordinary occur, they were there-- but it didn’t. All I ever saw them doing was busting kids for pot. The risk of the guns becoming an issue seems pretty low to me. I’m pretty seriously anti-gun, but cops are okay with me. </p>
<p>There was a hullabaloo at my community college though because the security guards, who were not actual police officers, were given a holding cell and tasers. That was not well received at all. I’m not sure if that ended up actually happening, there was uproar.</p>
<p>Yes, we have a school police officer at our school and I am glad that we do. The school, which houses some excellent magnet programs, is in an area with crime and gang-related issues. Having a police presence keeps the campus safe and, in fact, our campus is safe. It also serves as a deterrent for those in the surrounding community who might otherwise come onto the campus to recruit for gangs, etc. Additionally, our local city police make it a point to cruise by the school at the beginning and end of the school day.</p>
<p>My high school had one when I was there. I don’t believe they have one now. Although the police department does get called out to the school on a fairly regular basis. They also have an officer out there after school a lot in the parking lot…</p>
<p>Our SRO did a lot more than what people consider “police work.” He worked with the school wellness director on many different projects as well as running the DARE program. He was also at a lot of the football games and some nights he’d be in his regular uniform and other nights he’d have school-related apparel on while still on duty.</p>
<p>If our hs was located in high-crime or gang area, or if there had been reported instances of student violence against staff or other teachers, I could see the reason for an armed police officer in the school. Given our district’s situation, I object particularly to the officer being armed with a gun. I’m not thrilled with the idea of a police presence in the school, but I can see that it might cut down on drug use if kids realize there’s a real chance of immediate arrest for being in possession on campus.</p>
<p>I have a problem with what the administration is saying to the kids by enforcing the code of conduct via an armed police officer. I don’t see how it “insures a culture of dignity for all.” Where’s the dignity in being reminded, daily, that “we’re armed and you’re not”? Some schools exist where students won’t comply with expected behavior other than via the possibility of deadly force. But unless our school has hidden serious criminal behavior from the community, that’s not the case here. I don’t mind armed guards in a jail, or where their presence will protect the public from a credible threat. </p>
<p>I’m rolling my eyes over the fact that, for two years, we’ve been told that this year’s budget will mean real cutbacks - all the fat is gone. This year, jobs will be lost. Yet somehow, in a low-crime school, there’s going to be money to pay for an armed police officer. I just don’t understand why the district (and apparently most of the community) thinks that’s a good idea.</p>
<p>A police officer is not going to be on-duty, in uniform, and be unarmed.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>A lot of them probably aren’t paid for by the school. Ours was paid with a grant. And when the grant ran out, there was much debate as to if it would continue and who would pay for it-- the police department or the school?</p>
<p>Frazzled, what you describe: budget issues, " we’re armed and you’re not", and the power you perceive is what we do not have. If we did, i would have a problem too. Instead, our sro is like the other poster- part of the school community, works with students and admin, and wonderful to have around. And they are not paid out of school funds. It is a community connection effort through PD. I believe through federal grants. So i would recommend that you look into how your program will be run, and where the funding comes from before getting too upset. You might find that the way the sro position is utilized is much more positive than you think it will be. </p>
<p>I believe that we have a police officer at our high school - he might be called a resource officer. The police station is near the entrance to the high-school driveway so police could be at the high school withing 30 seconds if they were needed.</p>
<p>We’re in a town with low crime in a state with a low crime rate. But that doesn’t mean that there is no crime. We had a fight at the school a few years ago where one kid probably would have been beaten to death without intervention.</p>
<p>I’m all in favor of intervening to keep people from being beaten to death. I’d be interested to know - was the student rescued by a police officer, and did the officer draw a weapon?</p>
<p>Hops beat me to it, but I agree there’s no way a sworn officer is going to be in uniform and not be armed. Maybe someone can show me differently. Actually, I think officers off-duty and not in uniform are usually carrying.</p>
<p>As for being in uniform and not being armed, I think that would represent a liability both for themselves and their department. What if they are called to a different emergency en-route to the school? </p>
<p>Our small, rural school does not have, nor need, officers. The nearby town/school does. It probably needs more of them in the school.</p>