Gun arrests show need for police on Santa Rosa campuses: Press Democrat Editorial

Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa could have prevented a tragedy Wednesday when police responded arrested a 16-year-old student for having a loaded gun on campus. It was the second incident in a week at a Santa Rosa high school. A new school board and a first-year superintendent have their work cut out to ensure not only that campuses are safe, but that parents and students feel safe. They can start by putting school staff back on campus.

Having officers on campus was the norm in Santa Rosa for years, even though the practice had negative aspects. Some parents and advocates were unhappy with the idea of ​​children being supervised. There was also a simmering debate over whether schools or local governments should pay for the officers.

When police in Minneapolis killed George Floyd in 2020, there was a racial reckoning across the country. The Santa Rosa school board voted unanimously to end the Cops on Campus program.

Last year a student stabbed another student at Montgomery High School. In August one student stabbed a classmate during a gang-related knife attack at Elsie Allen High School.

A week ago, a 16-year-old student was arrested in Elsie Allen for bringing a loaded weapon and ammunition to school. And now another in Montgomery.

That’s four weapons incidents in a year and a half.

Almost a year ago, after hearing from students and parents, the school board approved a pilot program to return police officers to campusbut without a timeline. This is not a case where a pilot program is really necessary. There was a program a few years ago. Revitalize it with some changes and regular reviews of how the program can be improved. Schools are not reinventing the wheel here.

It’s no wonder students don’t feel safe when their classmates show up with weapons. Indeed, it is possible that the two with weapons brought them along as an ill-considered means of protecting themselves. Unfortunately, police provide few details, which does little to address the concerns of students, parents and school staff.

Critics may argue that police are unnecessary on campus. Just look at the two gun incidents. The school management intervened and alerted the police. That’s true, but it could easily have turned out differently. Having an officer on hand does not guarantee that every incident will be prevented, but a trained public safety professional who specifically watches for problems increases the chances more than relying on teachers and staff to focus on training it.

If police are successful on campus, they get wind of the problems before they escalate. Their interactions with students can ease tensions and improve the way youth view law enforcement, and vice versa. An effective program can create an environment where students know someone is looking out for their safety.

Three trustees declined to seek re-election to the seven-member board this year. That means new faces will replace some of the most ardent critics of school staff. There is no better opportunity to return to school resource officers, not as a pilot program, but as part of an intentional plan to ensure a safe school.

There are still some details to be worked out, not least who will foot the bill and how officers should be trained not to criminalize or racially profile student behavior. But recent incidents show that there is no time left to delay having those conversations and start doing something.

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