Seattle Police Department Speaks Out on SRO/SEO in High Schools Issue

 From The Seattle Times (bold mine):

Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes, a former high school history teacher and school resource officer, backs putting a school engagement officer at Garfield High School and “at every school that will allow us to come in and help.” 

Seattle schools are grappling with the question of having armed police officers on campus, facing opposition from some students and parents concerned that students of color and those with disabilities could be disproportionately affected by police presence in schools. The Seattle School Board on Wednesday again delayed a vote on amending a moratorium barring school resource officers in Seattle Public Schools.

Barnes said he longed for a world where no one needed to be armed, “but that’s not where we are.”
“It’s OK to be aspirational,” he said. “But it’s also OK to be realistic and that there are real threats out there.”

I hope everyone will read the entire story because it is a good one. I am especially impressed with what Chief Barnes has to say; he is saying the right things and even including issues he hadn't thought of. 

Things are NOT getting better:

His office later followed up to share that during Friday’s interview the department was notified of a threat of gun violence at Nathan Hale High School that resulted in a lockdown at the school.

The previous afternoon, there was another threat on social media that referenced bringing a gun to West Seattle High School to shoot another student, according to police.

“I think we would all agree that what makes these targets likely are the openness of campuses and the vulnerability of our students and our loved ones,” Barnes said. “I have a responsibility to ensure that special populations are protected and are resourced, and that’s something that I’ve done my entire career, dating back to my days as a public high school teacher.”

When it comes to determining which of his officers might be placed at Garfield, fit would be key, Barnes said. He wants someone who has experience working with children, community references to back them up and who wants to do the job. No one will be forced to do it, he said.

“This is probably not the job for someone who’s never worked with children before,” he said.

He’ll be looking to provide training for the officer beyond state requirements. He also wants to give students and staff an opportunity to interview the officer who would likely get the job.

“Police officers have to know what’s the role of a teacher, what’s the role of a principal,” he said. “They need to know what the law states around privacy around juveniles. They need to know juvenile law. They need to understand the psychology of an underdeveloped brain. They need to understand how to contact parents, what information is available regarding HIPAA or regarding someone that has a diagnosis related to their health.”

There is already state law around this issue: 

He also said roles and responsibilities are already clearly spelled out. State law prevents school resource officers — the legal term in state law, although Seattle refers to the Garfield pilot as a school engagement officer — from being involved in formal school discipline. School Board documents on the program also state that school staff will remain responsible for student discipline.

“I think that it’s very important to craft or to design exactly what the program will be and what it will not,” he said. “(The officer is) not there for discipline or to make sure people do their homework — although we want people to do their homework. … But we’re there as support and as a resource to people.”

But, at the same time, he said, an officer working in a school should have the right to decline a request if it’s not part of their job or call a supervisor if they are asked to step outside of their role.

“Police officers should be given the right to say no,” he said. 

People want data, here's some. (And I recall that Director Michelle Sarju pointed out to Principal Hart that he isn't a researcher and probably neither are the people in the PTSA. If she knows where SPS can get the money for a data researcher specific to this plan, she should speak up. I personally thought that was a disrespectful thing to say to Dr. Hart.)  

Data compiled by the Garfield PTSA show a drop in gun violence incidents during and after school hours on or near the high school in the 2024-25 school year, after the district and city combined to add police presence in the school’s parking lot and the violence interruption program Community Passageways at the school.

Barnes said these conversations have made him a better police chief. He also learned some things he hadn’t considered.

Someone asked at one of the community meetings whether the officer would teach about areas such as citizenship, knowing one’s rights under the laws and the dangers of drugs. He hadn’t considered that aspect of the role, he said, but he was willing to allow it if it’s approved and could fit into the school’s schedule.

I think if a school's SRO had a one-off class available before or after school on those topics a couple of times a year, that would be great. 

Because folks, one opportunity in having an officer at a school is helping students believe that officers ARE public servants there to help and protect them.

As the Board dithers, the problems are still out there. The time for hand-wringing is over.