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JUNE 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 6

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JUNE 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 6 • The History of the Galveston Island Beach Patrol • Beach Safety Tips • It's Island Time - Where to Stay, Eat & Play on the Island • The Texas School District Police Chiefs Conference • State & National Law Enforcement News • Warstory - What Happened to Susan Miller? • President Biden Receives Light Bulb Award • Open Road - The End of the HEMI? • Fishing with Rusty Barron • Dr. Tina speaks with David Edwards - Humanizing the Badge

School Votes to Disarm

School Votes to Disarm School Resource Officers No longer allowed to carry a firearm because it “makes students scared.” MONROE COUNTY, IN – Following a school board vote earlier in May, resource officers posted within Monroe County Community Schools will no longer be allowed to carry a firearm. Reportedly the rationale from some within the school board to enact this measure is because officers carrying guns “signify” that students “have something to be afraid of.” During the school board meeting on the evening of May 18th, the board had voted to change the policy regarding school resource officers carrying firearms on school property. While Monroe County Community Schools will still employ school resource officers, the new policy removes their permission to carry firearms while on school property. Apparently, this measure came to fruition based upon a general consensus that it’s important to make students feel welcome when they come into school, with school board member April Hennessey stating the following: “For many people, guns signify that we have something to be afraid of. If we say that schools are safe, then we have to lean into that.” Prior to the vote coming to its conclusion during the evening of May 18th, the school board did read one letter that reportedly came from a nurse that criticized the then-proposed policy change. An excerpt from the letter stated the following: “I feel it’s absurd you have decided to take such drastic actions without consulting with those officers.” As it turns out, the nurse that wrote that letter is not alone in their thought that disarming school resource officers is a bit drastic. Chase Lyday, who is with the Indiana SRO Association, is among the crowd that believes having properly trained school resource officers that have access to a firearm makes schools safer. “Disarming school resource officers prevents them from doing the full weight of responsibility they’ve been asked to do in the schools. It doesn’t align with best practice.” “School resource officers should be carefully selected and trained to do a job and properly equipped to do that job.” Local news outlet FOX 59 wound up reaching out to several school districts around central Indiana to see if those other districts were prohibiting school resource officers from carrying weapons. The news outlet couldn’t find any other school districts enacting such mandates. Reportedly one school board member did vote against the change with respect to disarming school resource officers, urging the school board to delay the decision until a new superintendent takes over in July of this year. However, that request failed to pass. Chicago Unveils New Foot Pursuit Policy Following Multiple Shootings Among its rules, the new policy bans pursuits for minor traffic violations and bars officers from separating from partners if they can’t see the suspect. By Herbert G. McCann Associated Press CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Department on Wednesday announced a new foot-pursuit policy that officials say makes the safety of officers and members of the public a priority. The new policy comes in the wake of foot pursuits that ended in the fatal shooting by police earlier this year of Adam Toledo, 13, and Anthony Alvarez, 21. Among its rules, the new policy prohibits foot pursuits for minor traffic violations, bars officers from separating from partners if they can’t see the person they’re chasing or if the officer or the person is injured. Under the new policy, the chase must end if the officer has lost track of their location or their surroundings, if there is too much distance or obstacles between the officer and the person they are chasing, and if they will not be able to control the subject of the chase in a confrontation. In addition, officers must first consider if the need to apprehend a suspect is worth the risk to the officer, the public or the subject before a foot pursuit takes place. The policy also says officers can pursue people on foot only if they have probable cause the person committed a crime or believe that they’re about to commit one. Police officers must activate body worn cameras for every foot pursuit. Superintendent David Brown said officers had been using the strategies during foot chases, but making the strategy a written policy will make officers subject to disciplinary action if they violate it. The new policy will temporarily go into effect June 11. The public will have an opportunity to offer feedback before it becomes permanent in September. “It’s essential the voices of our officers and community members are represented in policies that can directly affect them,” Brown said. “As we transform the police department through reform, we will continue to collaborate with our residents to make Chicago safer for everyone.” The announcement of the new policy comes four years after the Department of Justice issued a report saying too many Chicago police chases were unnecessary or ended with officers shooting people they didn’t need to and two years after a judge signed off on a consent decree requiring the department to adopt a foot pursuit policy. The week after the fatal shootings of Toledo on March 29 and Alvarez on March 31, which video shows were holding handguns right before or as officers shot them, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the department would implement a foot pursuit policy by summer. “Because foot pursuits are one of the most dangerous actions that police officers can engage in, we cannot afford to wait any longer to put a policy in place that regulates them,” Lightfoot said in a statement announcing the policy. Police officials say officers will undergo training to familiarize them with the new policy. The training will focus on the responsibilities of the pursuing officer, including the considerations the officer must take into account before taking up a pursuit and what should be done during a pursuit. 34 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 35

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