Armed School Resource Officer for High and Middle School
The City Council at their January 7, 2019 meeting discussed at length a proposal by Piedmont Police Chief Jeremy Bowers and School Superintendent Randall Booker to use grant funding for three years to install a sworn and armed police officer in the Piedmont Unified School District, who would be assigned to the Piedmont High School and Middle School.
Praise was given to Bowers for seeking grant funding. The Council had not previously been involved in seeking the grant and wondered if the money could be used for other than a Sworn Police Officer (SRO) in reaching community and school goals. The answer was no.
After taking community input, a target of bringing the matter back to the Council in March was suggested.
Some notions expressed were:
- Armed officer in the schools – good or bad
- Ability to afford an SRO following the grant appeared difficult
- Need to learn more about SRO effectiveness from other schools
- Potential for allinating minority individuals
- Having a snitch on school property
- Downside risks
- Other methods of achieving goals
- Current experiences within the Piedmont schools
- Training necessary to achieve expansive job description
The Piedmont School Board and City Council must both agree on a SRO.
There were requests for greater outreach to the community prior to making the decision, which is targeted in the next few months in hopes of having a SRO for fall 2019.
