Crime spikes have forced schools to reinstate resource officers after the “defund the police” movement slashed schools’ security budgets.
In Montgomery County, Maryland, schools were opened without officers patrolling the hallways, leaving students vulnerable to any possible crime.
Some schools used “community engagement officers” instead to patrol areas near institutions.
Crime spikes force schools to reinstate resource officers as defund movement collapseshttps://t.co/NbMNTQxroB
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 15, 2022
“I think what you’re seeing and the reaction from these school districts is exactly what we’re seeing in almost every major city in this country: Everybody’s having buyer’s remorse for defunding the police,” Fraternal Order of Police National Vice President Joe Gamaldi told Fox News.
“We had 16 American cities last year have their highest murder rates in recorded history, and now people are quickly backtracking and realizing that police officers provide safety in our communities.”
According to a report from 7News, 1,688 911 calls were made during the first four months of class, including calls related to sexual assaults, assaults, school threats, controlled substance incidents, weapon-related incidents, conflicts, mental health incidents, property crimes, and robberies.
In Alexandria, Virginia, the school district saw a surge in violent fights at schools since the start of the school year, with some blaming the Alexandria City Council for voting the removal of police officers last spring.
As a temporary solution to the problem, the city council voted in October to reinstate SROs in schools until the end of the school year.
“Our students are sending us warning shots, literally warning shots,” said Alexandria City High School principal Peter Balas during the October vote. “Please reconsider this. My staff, my students. We’re not OK.”
During the height of the “defund the police” movement, liberals also argued that SROs should be removed from campus, citing that Black and Latino students were being unfairly arrested or disciplined.
“With the uprisings and the recent events that happened over the past year, students just don’t want to be greeted with police officers when they come back,” said Amir Whitaker, senior policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.
However, Fraternal Order of Police National President Patrick Yoes said during an interview with Fox News that he believes that having police officers in schools is “natural” and SROs provide safety and security to kids.
