KISD Kitchen Sink Part 2

SRO and School Police Department Blog by Liz Ramos: Part II

Ok, so I thought I was going to impress everyone with facts about the differences, pros and cons of an SRO or School Police Department. I could easily write a 25-page research paper on this subject. For three weeks I googled whenever I had the time about both subjects including topics that range in police education, student and staff safety, laws, statistics, history, blah, blah, blah. No one wants to read that. But I will summarize from memory everything I read and give you my take on it.

Here are the statistics of the benefits of School Police Departments. There are none. There is no credible statistic that states having an Independent School Police Department deters crime, increases school safety, or benefits the school in any way in comparison to an SRO or other policing support. Sure, you can easily find research and investigation into this subject but the final conclusion is, the United States is a large area. There are so many regions with so many different types of issues it is very difficult to pinpoint whether an SPD is the answer to every school district’s problem. The first SPD was started in Flint, Michigan. Flint is very different from Gifford, GA and Gifford, GA is very different from New York City, NY. This lies the problem of finding statistics that match other cities. They very much seem to help cities like New York, NY but is wasteful for cities like Helena, AL.

As far as SRO in concerned, the same thing. Although most literature did state that having an SRO in comparison to a SPD creates an environment making it easier and safer for kids to express themselves and report issues. Literally everything I read about having an SRO was positive except the following:

1. Overstepping boundaries and violating student’s rights. (I have experienced that myself from an SRO although nothing serious.) 2. They literally do not have to protect students or teachers. Take Parkland, FL for example. They had an SRO and we all know what he didn’t do. A judge determined he did not have to go inside the school to protect the kids from terror. Two other officers showed up and did exactly what he did. So, who is to say a school could ever be safe enough? 3. Not enough training is done in most cases.

When it came down to SPD everything was positive about it except:

1. Overstepping boundaries and violating student’s rights. 2. Not enough training when it comes to child development, special needs population, and diffusing situations that arise. 3. It is expensive! 4. Grants will run out. Reapplying for grants takes more time and money. Taxpayer ends up footing the bill. 5. More complicated than expected to run and maintain. 6. Focus is more on security than bonding with community.

After all of my reading and research I have come to the conclusion that if the population of Kingsville was 160,000 and we had more schools to keep safe this may be a reasonable solution. Especially when it comes to saving money. Kingsville has roughly a population of 26,000-28,000. After the 2020 census we will be able to pinpoint this statistic more accurately. Kingsville isn’t a very small city and it isn’t a big one either. I believe an SPD would be a waste of taxpayer money. KISD has bigger fish to fry and needs to focus on other issues. I don’t know who put this on the agenda to form a school police department, but all I am thinking is, “This person is trying to leave some sort of legacy or was a police officer at one time?” I believe an SRO or two for HS and Middle would greatly benefit the school in comparison to forming an SPD. “It takes a village to raise a kid, right?” Not a police department. We aren’t big enough to consider an SPD and the school board members should focus on other issues at hand. Bullying, testing, school grade, teacher development, supplies and resources for schools (one school has one printer for the entire school), student retention, special needs, etc, etc, etc before jumping the gun.

And neither an SRO or an SPD only needs a template. KISD needs to do its due diligence, research, training and education, and figure in this district’s main problems and focus on those first. What will work for Kingsville may not work in Accident, Maryland! So please, don’t use their template! It may cause accidents!

That is what I got to say about that.

What are your thoughts?

I complain, a lot, probably too much. I hate complainers as much as the next person. If an employee or co-worker complains to me, I say in response, “I’m sorry you feel this way. Do you have any credible solutions to these issues you are having you want to try?” I listen to them, weigh the pros and cons, and even try to fix the problem to see what the outcome would be. Nothing irritates me more than a complaining co-worker without a solution. What I really hear is, “Bitch, bitch, bitch, and more bitching.” So, I will follow up with this and add a Part III in the morning.