Minnesota Sheriff's Association joins calls for clarity to school resource officer law
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Sheriff's Association on Thursday joined calls for clarity to a new law that has some school districts pulling school resource officers.
According to the group that represents 87 elected county sheriffs, they are "optimistically working with stakeholders to pursue a solution" that has prompted uncertainty with SROs in the state's schools.
While some police and sheriff's departments are pulling SROs out, others are opting to stay. In the Anoka-Hennepin School District, 11 of 12 resource officers will not be in the building come the start of the school year. Conversely, Rogers Police Chief Daniel Wills says his department can safely do their jobs under the terms of the new law.
The portion of the law itself limits district employees -- including SROs -- from placing students into certain holds. Those include putting a student face down on the ground, or putting weight on their head, throat, neck or chest, thereby making it so they can't breathe. The law also limits the use of reasonable force unless students are posing a risk of bodily harm to themselves or someone else.
The sheriff's group says the new law is not based on real-world circumstances.
"We are discouraged that such a significant law that impacts the safety of our children was imposed without any stakeholder input," Minnesota Sheriffs' Association Executive Director James Stuart said. "However, we remain optimistic that we can all work together to resolve the many concerns that the oversite (sic) has created. Public safety remains our top concern and our children deserve that we all ensure that our schools are as safe as possible. We are also committed to helping our protectors do their job effectively during these unprecedented and difficult times."
RELATED: What is the exact language of the new law concerning school resource officer conduct?
Earlier this week, some lawmakers, including the Republican Party of Minnesota leader, called for a special session as more districts drop their SROs. The sheriff's association - and multiple police agencies - are agreeing that the legislature must address the issue.
"We agree with other criminal justice stakeholders that the legislature must address this issue with urgency. We implore our legislators to work together, in a bipartisan fashion, to correct this issue so our law enforcement can return to keeping our schools safer, with clarity of their own expectations," the group said in a statement.
One of the latest schools to suspend SROs is Wayzata Middle School. The city's police department announced the move Friday. See a list of schools pulling SROs.
