Reply to For everyone insisting MCPS reinstate SROs

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]National studies and experience are informative but not determinative of what happens here. Only 2/3 of SRO programs even have MOUs and we don’t know what’s in them. The guardrails for minimizing over criminalization of students of color are the provisions in the MOU  that clearly delineates what is discipline and what is criminal behavior.  Our current MOU  is excellent. It was significantly improved with this clear delineation in 2017. And arrests went down soon thereafter. We have one of the lowest arrest rates in the state and certainly in the nation.

On the flip side of violence prevention; there are several types of violence and each needs different approaches. Mass shootings are less than 1% of violence and there are evidence based ways to reduce those. That doesn’t include an SRO although there is significant data showing SRO presence reduces the number of killed.

What happened at Magruder wasn’t a mass shooting. It was regular community violence. And that needs a different approach. Gun control doesn’t help — the guns are already illegal.  Mental health is not the primary driver of this type of violence.  Provide mental health services for kids because it’s the right thing to do. But not because you think it will significantly reduce violence. This type of violence is driven by interpersonal arguments, drug deals gone bad, defending turf, and maintaining social credibility. The number one way to reduce this violence is focused deterrence - which includes police presence combined with social supports. We have decades of evidence showing police presence (regardless of arrest rate) prevents violence.  Of course it has the potential community harm of over policing. But that’s what the MOU is for.

Non-enforcement community engagement is the evidence based best practice for building community trust between police and residents. And good SRO programs are just that — 99.9% non-enforcement engagement.   Please give schools, some of which are as big as small towns, this safety benefit. You can demand oversight and accountability to ensure any harm is prevented.

I guarantee ghost guns are a game changer and Magruder is only the first school shooting we will have. Not the last. Sad as it is. [/quote]
well stated, all of it, and ITA

Police presence in the form of community engagement officers can be a deterrent. It's not a panacea, obviously, but it can be a deterrent.  Same argument for gun control. It's not a panacea, but it's a start and can prevent or make it more difficult.[/quote]

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