Police Rethinking High School Officers
By Alexis Huicochea, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
Jul. 27–The Tucson Police Department is considering a plan to remove its remaining school resource officers from high schools to focus more on children in elementary and middle schools.
The proposal, which was presented to the Tucson City Council’s public safety subcommittee Thursday, would remove the on-duty officers from high schools at a time when the department has been battling an increase in gang violence in the past few years.
However, most school districts serviced by the department said they are not alarmed as they do not use school resource officers (SROs), instead paying off-duty officers to patrol their campuses. TUSD, which does use the program, had just three school resource officers for 11 high school campuses as of last school year, an official said.
“My main concern initially was that we would be suddenly cutting high schools off by not providing SROs but when I was assured that coverage would be maintained with off-duty officers, I became more comfortable with the concept,” said Councilwoman Nina Trasoff.
Trasoff applauded other ideas the department proposed, including having officers teach specific classes in schools, and placing more focus on truancy.
Tucson police officials were not available for comment Thursday afternoon. The council subcommittee asked for police to return in October so it could review the plan’s progress.
According to a presentation made to the subcommittee, the SRO program is responsible for the Gang Resistance Education and Training program; providing officers on middle school and high school campuses; responding to calls for service at their assigned schools; and participating in quarterly truant roundups.
Under the revised plan, the SRO program would return the responsibility of monitoring high schoolers to school safety officers and administrators.
The program would focus on middle and elementary schools; work with at-risk youths through home visits, parental contact and contact at schools; and respond to calls for service at elementary and middle schools.
The announcement of plans to withdraw school resource officers from Tucson Unified School District high schools was neither a surprise nor much of a concern to Warren Allison, TUSD’s school safety coordinator.
“At the end of the school year, I knew they were thinking of making changes,” said Allison.
TUSD will station security guards at each high school campus, he said, and TUSD security will increase coordination with special police units, like motorcycle officers and the gang unit. “I think we’re going to have pretty good coverage all the way around,” Allison said. “I don’t think this will leave our schools without cover.”
Vicki Balentine, superintendent at the Amphitheater Public Schools, said Tucson police met earlier this month with several superintendents to discuss a possible SRO restructuring.
Balentine said any possible restructure would not change anything at Amphi, as it doesn’t use any SROs.
Other districts, including Sunnyside, Vail and Flowing Wells, also did not voice concerns over the possible changes.
“I think we’re going to have pretty good coverage all the way around. I don’t think this will leave our schools without cover.”
Warren Allison, TUSD’s school safety coordinator
–Star reporters Nathan Olivarez-Giles and George B. Sanchez contributed to this story. –Contact reporter Alexis Huicochea at 629-9412 or ahuicochea@azstarnet.com
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