Reply to Elrich Leads MoCo CE Polls by Large Margin

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There is one reconciliation list item there for 2 SROs in 2019.  Unanimous vote.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/agenda/col/2019/20190516/20190516_2B.pdf

And three in 2018.   Riemer was Council President.
https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=22155&Dept=1

[/quote]
What does this mean? The sequence of events are:

- For years everyone supports SROs and raises no reservations.

2019: Elrich proposes in his to add SROs to Middle Schools but council doesn’t support

2020: Riemer and Jawando decide that it would be politically expedient to campaign to remove SROs

2021: 
- Riemer and Jawando propose bill to prevent MCPD from placing SROs in school
- Navarro and Rice propose compromise for “CROs” outside schools
- Elrich takes cue from the majority of the council and proposes budget with “CEOs” outside schools
- Riemer is satisfied with compromise on his original proposal but certainly didn’t want CROs/CEOs either 
- Jawando, who also proposed to defund MCPD, stated that he was “proud of the work we did” to achieve this outcome

2022:
- Elrich says he still support removing SROs
- McKnight says that the SRO program was a failure and they won’t return
- Jawando and Riemer have gone into hiding

Fin[/quote]

Not quite right, although I love your characterization of 2022.  :)  There are three different government players in this mess.   And ultimately Elrich has and had the final word on it all:

[b][u]2018 and 2019[/u] [/b]
Everyone supported SROs without reservation up through 2020.  Schools, police, government officials.   Craig Rice most of all.  During the budget process, Council added 5 SROs for middle schools over two years, at Council Member Rice's urging.  These had not been proposed by Leggett or Elrich.

[b][u]2020[/u]
[/b][b]March[/b] -  the executive got a state grant to add a couple million dollars to the SRO program and a bunch of advocates testified against it at Council.   That's when the anti-SRO backlash began and several Councilmembers started changing their mind.  
[b]
May[/b] -  George Floyd was killed.

[b]June[/b] - the Board of Education passed a resolution to reexamine the SRO program.   Jack Smith had to provide a bunch of data.  https://wtop.com/maryland/2020/06/2-maryland-counties-debate-role-of-school-resource-officers/   The results kept getting postponed.

[b]July [/b]- during a savings plan, Jawando wanted to get rid of the entire SRO program and thought it would save money.  He said it would be $3 million or something people could use to fund mental health in the schools.  But there was no savings. https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/government/council-committee-rebuffs-jawandos-call-to-eliminate-school-resource-officers/  And the Council didn't take his recommendation.

[b]November[/b] -  he and Riemer introduced a bill to prohibit SROs in schools.  Navarro proposed an amendment to modify the program in a way that is very similar to what Elrich later implemented.

[b]December [/b]- Rice and Katz introduced a bill to allow the school system to decide whether it wants SROs.

[b][i]Neither was passed.[/i][/b]

[b][u]2021[/u][/b]
[b]March[/b] - as part of the next budget, the executive cut those original 5 SROs in the budget.   Those had never been assigned because it takes a couple of years to hire a police officer.  And the Council voted to approve that.   During press conferences,  Elrich also announced his intention to end the SRO program.   It was confusing though, because he did it as part of his press statement on the budget.

[b][i]Rich Madaleno, the county’s chief administrative officer, wrote in a text message Monday night that Elrich’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2022 includes eliminating five vacant school resource officer positions from middle schools.  Elrich’s plan for the future of the full SRO program is “not from the budget,” he said.[/i]
[/b]  https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/elrich-says-he-will-remove-police-officers-from-schools/

[b]May[/b] - the Board of Education released its findings about the SRO program, citing advantages and disadvantages, and that if a school system had SROs it should tailor it to both reduce harm of arrests and increase safety.  https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/C2S2RR727C3F/$file/SRO%20Program%20210511.pdf   (Personally, I think the board did the research and outreach the right way.   They really took an objective look at all different aspects of the program and solicited input from principals, students, police, teachers, parents.  That's how it should be done.  I wish they would take some of that information and those recommendations, and put some sort of SRO program back in schools, with the accountability and harm reduction components that they had discussed.)

[b]Summer[/b] - Over that spring and summer, the various stakeholders created two groups, one mostly students and one mostly school and police administrators, to develop a better MOU saying what police would do.

[b]September[/b] - schools opened with no SROs on school property.  They were CEOs.  They responded to crimes.   So the model Elrich called for actually took  out all the good parts of the SRO program, like relationship building and violence PREVENTION, and left the bad stuff that people hate, the ARRESTS. [/quote]

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