What we need are trained, armed personnel in schools at all times, but this is a start. And in L.A., no less.
[typography font="Ubuntu Condensed" size="24" size_format="px"]Chief Beck Wants To Start Program Where Officers Visit Schools At Least Once Per Day[/typography]
Speaking at a graduating class of nearly 500 police cadets, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck reflected on the shooting massacre in Connecticut.
He told CBS2 and KCAL9 reporter Kara Finnstrom that he wanted to implement a new program where officers would check in to elementary and junior high schools at least once a day.
Beck told Finnstrom he’s working out the logistics with School Superintendent John Deasy. He also hopes to extend the program to private schools.
“I’m going to use all 10,000 Los Angeles police officers. We won’t be there all the time — but no one will ever know when we will be there. I don’t want anyone to think they can walk into a school in Los Angeles and be immune from the police. Cause you won’t be.”
Swell. LAPD wants to commit random acts of safety.
But only randomly.
just more of the same – make them “feel” safe – rather than doing what it would take to help them BE safe.
and it isn’t really possible to make everyone safe every day all the time – but that Israeli teacher with a rifle slung over her back was a good place to start…
I know, but at least they’ll be there ‘sometimes’. Yes, we should arm our teachers… but can you really see that happening with half the country wanting our guns?
Bloomberg: Obama Must Take ‘Immediate Action’ Against Guns
Houston Dem Precinct Chair: Stop Gun Violence by Shooting NRA Members
Stars Speak Out in Unison for More Gun Control
Scarborough joins growing list of pundits and lawmakers who are demanding change in gun-control laws
That’s just a few. Even past supporters are calling for more gun control!
I understand the emotions, but not the logic.
I’m so ashamed…I went to school with Scarborough…
[GASP] Then he should know better!
I don’t want police at schools full time. I don’t think that’s the answer. And I don’t think it’ll make our children any safer or make them feel safer.
Here where LD goes to school, police make random visits and they have since I went to school in this district. This is enough for me. I can’t see how putting our children in a constant state of lockdown is conducive to learning. There are many inner city schools that’ve spent millions on metal detectors and police presence and these kids don’t feel any safer nor do they learn better. It just reinforces the thought that they aren’t safe.
I love you ladies, but I disagree on this issue with you. And you know what? I’m glad we can.
Thank God we still have freedom of speech and thought!
I don’t advocate a ‘lockdown’ environment. That already happens, with the metal detectors and doors and windows locked. But I do think guns have a place in schools. If we can arm pilots to protect a plane full of people, then we can arm at least one person in a school to protect our children.
What surprised me most is that LD told me today he’d feel safer if the police were at school all day. And he’s the last person I ever thought would say that.
Well, I would too. He’s a smart cookie.
What bothered me most about his response was the way it was phrased. I’d brought up that I knew they had spoken to the kids about the shooting, that even earlier that same week they’d had a lock-down drill (we had fire drills and earthquake drills when I was a kid), and that people were concerned. I then asked what he thought about having police at school all day. He said, “I’d feel safer if they were there because you KNOW there’s always one kid who’s ready and willing to do something like this.” WHAT? Okay, if you know there’s one kid…report him! Let’s err on the side of caution! You shouldn’t live in fear someone will do this. You should be able to go about your day and just learn.
Makes my heart hurt that kids feel this way.
I understand.
When we were small it was hiding under our desks in case some other country lobbed an A Bomb at us! It’s always something.
My thoughts are this: someone can still sneak on campus and harm our children. Police presence doesn’t preclude that. It makes it more difficult, but doesn’t mean it won’t or can’t happen.
Also, I don’t know about where you live, but I know here in SD and even in Vegas, there have been problems with budgets for the police departments. They’ve cut the number of officers on the streets, asked them to do more for less pay, and they say they don’t have the money for more. How are we going to pay for the ones they want to put in the schools? Where does that leave everyone else? If we take cops off the streets and put them in schools, who’s minding the store then? And the schools can’t pay for it because they’re already struggling to pay for the basics, like teachers and books and even janitorial services!
We’ve put ourselves in a horrible position (are you listening, bronco supporters??) because we keep spending money on stupid shit that doesn’t matter. We don’t need seventy new freeway projects that are started and not completed (in Vegas, this was THE BIG THING…they started the projects so they could get their stimulus money).
You know, a lot of schools are already taking on corporate sponsorships (ooh, bad, evil corporations!) just to help make ends meet. Maybe we should bring Haliburton and Titan in for school security. At least they’d be effective.
Rant over. I just don’t see how we’re going to finance all these things otherwise.
Oh, I’m right there with you on finance; schools and police are a priority. But what about unions the teachers and police belong to that make everything so much more expensive?
Putting an armed, trained person in a school would be a huge deterrent. As Peter says below: “…these spree shooters always surrender or kill themselves the moment they are confronted with police”.
Except when they don’t. Knowing there’s someone armed at the school gives them one more assurance that they’ll go down in “a blaze of glory” that so many of them fantasize about. It also means they’ll arm themselves even better. KNOWING there’s a guard with a gun means they’ll plan better and be more likely to shoot even more bullets.
We’re screwed all the way around on this one. There is no single right answer. But I’m praying…lots and lots of prayers…that we’ll come up with something.
The Resume Speed Independent School District has a full time police department. They are in and about the schools schools all year long, protecting the property, chasing truants and watching over the kids. Seems to work.
What would really work would be to fire all the police administrators and go back to the days when we had police commanders. There are two things to remember here. One is that these spree shooters always surrender or kill themselves the moment they are confronted with police. The other thing to remember is that there have been no police killed in any of these shooting sprees from Columbine on. Meanwhile, these pimples on a policeman’s ass administrators hold their officers back while the killing goes on. Police are not allowed to go in. The form perimeters, they gather intelligence and they wait for the urban armored infantry to arrive. and the killing goes on.
That just sucks. I don’t want police killed any more than the next person, but aren’t they trained to confront bad people?