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Safety Law News for June 7, 2018

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  • In Texas, educators and law enforcement officials in Williamson County have co-signed a public letter calling for an in-house police department for the Round Rock ISD.  The current estimate for establishing the school district police department is $1.08 million for one police chief, four officers and a dispatcher for the 2018-19 school year.
  • In California, school-based law enforcement officers in San Francisco are taking part in a four-day program called Policing the Teen Brain.  The training is designed to help the officers improve relationships with children, de-escalate situations, and avoid the use of force.  The training includes a discussion with a psychologist who explains mental health issues prevalent among teens and how police interactions can be traumatizing.
  • In Kentucky, the school district safety committee in Marshall County has approved new security policies. The measures include walk-through metal detectors at all entrances of the high school and both middle schools, increasing the number of school resource officers from one to five, and prohibiting backpacks at middle and high schools.
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Safety Law News for June 5, 2018

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  • In Kentucky, the Warren County Superintendent is asking the board of education to implement the recommendations of the Regional Safety Task Force.   The task force recommends the expansion of the school resource officer program and mental health services and the purchase of hand-held metal detectors.
  • Nationally, a new research study by Education Week compiles the responses of nearly 400 school resources officers on their duties.  The study reports that seventy-three percent of SROs in school-police departments say their schools specify the types of issues SROs can intervene in as compared to 56 percent of those in local police/sheriff’s offices who assign officers to schools.
  • In Ohio, the Talawanda Board of Education has approved two personnel policies to deal with school safety.   School resource officers will be assigned to each district building and social workers will be placed in each elementary school.
  • In Maine, the state has tasked the Juvenile Justice Assistance Group to study the use of school resource officers.  The study will look at how school officers are hired, trained and how effective they are in dealing with a whole range of school-based issues.  There are nearly 67 school resource law enforcement officers working in 93 schools.  There are 620 public schools in the state.
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Safety Law News for May 31, 2018

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  • In Florida, the District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District held that a judge abused his discretion when it granted a student’s motion to dismiss an on-campus marijuana possession violation based upon judge’s perspective of the most suitable way to address juvenile’s circumstances.  The court held that despite the judge’s belief that dismissal was in best interest of public and parties, the state attorney makes the final determination to prosecute.  (State v. A.J.)

 

 

 

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Safety Law News for May 25, 2018

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  • In New York, the Warren County Supervisors have discovered that it will cost $2,500 per year to have each of the Sheriff’s Office school resource officers covered by the county’s liability insurance.  County leaders agreed to have the county absorb the cost for the upcoming year and discuss the matter with schools for future years.

 

  • In Wyoming, the Campbell County School District has approved a new policy that will arm school staff members.  Six school officials will undergo 40 hours of active shooter training that will be specific to what could happen with a shooter in school.

 

 

  • In Wyoming, the Casper City Council passed a resolution declaring a commitment to play an active role in preventing school violence.  A budget proposal looks to tripling the number of police officers working inside its schools.
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Safety Law News for May 22, 2018

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  • In Colorado, officials in the Denver Public Schools are exploring a new policy of creating an in-house school district police department.  Under the plan, the goal is to select and train armed police officers with power to arrest students, but in a manner consistent with district restorative justice policy, thereby relying less on outside police and ending the school-to-jail pipeline.

 

 

 

  • In New York, the Warren County Supervisors approved a new policy that will place a school resource officer in each school.  Each school district will collaborate with the County Sheriff’s Office for selection, training, and supervision of the officers.
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Safety Law News for May 10, 2018

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  • In Missouri, a non-sworn security officer in the St. Louis County schools was arrested and charged with assault for violating school district policy when he used a Taser on an unarmed middle-school student.  School district policy of the Normandy Schools Collaborative prohibits anyone other than a law enforcement officer from carrying any weapon capable of deadly use on school grounds.

 

  • In Indiana, officials in Lake County, Porter County, and LaPorte County are implementing agreements with local police to give them access to all school buildings using remote keyless entry fobs and swipe-cards.  The memorandum of understanding also calls for each officer to be issued a school ID card.  Some private schools are planning to join the memorandum.

 

  • In South Carolina, the South Carolina House of Representatives unanimously amended the state budget to let retired state workers return to a state job and be exempt from a $10,000 earnings cap on working retirees.  The goal is to ease a statewide shortage of teachers and school resource officers.