Earlier this month an article was written about police resource officers in the Mesa Public Schools, I was wondering if anyone heard one voice….Did anyone hear what Deb Duvall, Mesa School Superintendent had to say? The concern is the loss of 7 Mesa schools police resource officers - and rightly so.Last year, the MPS Board paid $250,000 to help pay for 14 officers. However, the federal grants used ran out. The property tax would have resolved the problem…..we all know what happened there.The officers were placed in Jr. High School’s according to Mesa police Interim Chief Fowler, five years ago because of the Columbine massacre. The result - violence decreased in the schools with the visible deterrent, developing a trust brought significant benefits. Without this proactive measure it becomes difficult with no pre-established relationship.Without the officers on campus the police department and school must rely on a phone call from schools which delay response times. The city cut $470,000 that would have gone to the school resource officers paid by the property tax…had it passed.There is more to a SRO than meets the eye - it’s not a case of "hanging around" waiting for something to happen. Some of the responsibilities include:- investigate crimes on campus- investigate incidents involving students off campus- mediate student conflicts - conduct traffic control- teach classes on law enforcement- teach classes on citizenship- act as counselors- role models for students- crime preventionAn SRO is an important ingredient that bring education and law abiding citizenship together.I’m with Superintendent Duvall, our children deserve the protection and benefits. It would be a crime not to!
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