Mayor has stated on his fb page that it was student, with a loaded handgun, on school property (but not inside the building however being on campus still counts). Student was arrested. SROs being on campus definitely could have prevented this. Furthermore, in the past at least one SRO was assigned to be at Bradlee after school, usually around McDonalds and would keep an eye on things and interact with the kids. They are not only there to be a police officer, but to also build connections between them and the students, become a part of the school community and be another positive adult in their lives. So for all the posters crying "well the stuff at Bradlee was off campus and couldn't have been prevented", how do you know? If the SROs were still funded, and were there last month and this month, at school and at Bradlee, maybe things wouldn't be so chaotic. Maybe a student would think twice about bring a loaded handgun, starting a fight, shooting someone in the arm. The students are all going through intense stress and trauma having to go to school in these conditions. The violence, the fights, the lockdowns, the rumors, the students being arrested, etc. The mental health issues will only increase. |
Exactly what part of today would an SRO have prevented. Would they have used minority report and prevented him from coming to school. Sounds like he was arrested before anyone was hurt which likely would have been the same outcome if an SRO was there. And again COPS ARE NOT MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS. IF the problem is mental health and the increased stress of students address with proper professionals and resource. |
Wow, everything I wrote went right over your head; which is very sad. The student tried to enter the building with a loaded handgun, but because someone had run into the school to warn an adult, when the student was coming in the door he was stopped. This time it ended peacefully. But what about next time? Why did this kid think it was ok to bring not just a gun, but a loaded one, onto campus and into school? Do you think that maybe, just maybe, had SROs been on campus it would have been a deterrent to this student and he would have left his loaded handgun at home instead. That's the part of today that could have been prevented. Seriously, you can't connect those dots? ' So now it's up to the teachers and admin to confront a student with a loaded handgun I guess. You're cool with that? You think that's part of their job description? Why? You never heard of a student, who brings a loaded handgun to school, shoot the teacher that confronts him/her? I am scared to death for my 9th grader for next year. This entire situation has spiraled so out of control and Alexandria government has zero idea what to do. |
Yeah, and city council ceremoniously defunded SROs in July leaving no time to get those resources in place. We should be able to do better than that. |
I swear people won’t be happy until there is are actual shots fired in the school. 😞
As far as SROs, I would guess they mingled with students, overheard things, watched things going on, and easier for a kid to report something without looking obvious. That to me was the value. Knowing there was someone who was watching. What if that kid today had acted like the kids at Bradlee - we know nothing and we saw nothing … |
You mean City High? |
Students routinely asked for passes to visit the SROs when they were on campus. In addition to providing mentorship and support, students providing the SROs with intell about plans that people were making for violence. They were a safe space kids could provide info. Their presence prevented incidents. And all of the staff of the school, students, the Police Depart, ACPS leadership, and the School Board made this case to Council, and Council took the SROs away. |
This. Also it's not either/or. It's also/and. Schools need a full toolbox. Counseling, Restorative Practices, AND SROs. |
The SROs keep an eye on things. They were a calming presence at a school that had outbursts from time to time - but when my DC was there, the outbursts involved fights, not weapons. The thought of a kid trying to get into the school with a loaded gun is terrifying. |
Given that in 200 school shootings analyzed, only 2 SROs were able to stop the active shooter, I doubt that student would have been swayed at all. https://www.cfjj.org/policing-in-schools |
Or school shootings. See Parklnad. |
I agree. SROs are always the solution. I especially liked the one who shot into a car killing an 18 year old occupant who was driving away from a FIST fight ![]() ![]() |
Most schools where mass shootings counted had SROs. Clearly they are not the solution. |
The SRO question is really hard. I definitely understand the reasons behind removing SROs - ie.., kids shouldn’t be treated like criminals in school, no real data that they prevent school shootings (though I do believe there was a case of an SRO saving the day at a Maryland school not that long ago)). But my sister teaches at a school similar to TJ and there are SO MANY fist fights and teachers feel very unsafe breaking them up. |
Except I don't think the student who came to school with a loaded handgun was going to commit a mass shooting. And in fact I don't think mass shooting is what we need to worry about it. It's shooting a person or persons once or twice. Whoever was at Bradlee could have kept shooting but he/she didn't. They were targeting a person. I think some parents - especially white ones shrug off incidents like this because they feel their child is different, better, special and would never be involved in things like that so is not in harms way. Of course, they seem to also assume the shooter has gone to some kind of training so they know exactly how to aim and of course won't panic an start overshooting. I don't think an SRO is going to be any match for a crazy person wielding automatic assault weapons and high powered rifles. I think an SRO is going to be able to look out for a person or person being targeted. |