Santa Rosa school board approves plan to return police officers to campuses
Santa Rosa school leaders on Tuesday night approved a program to bring police officers back to campuses.
The 4-to-2 vote by the school board in favor of the plan to reinstate school resource officers or SROs comes after a string of violent incidents at several high schools.
Just last month, police said a 15-year-old student stabbed a classmate at Elsie Allen High. Other incidents have included students found with guns and knives.
Jeremy De La Torre is a parent and school board trustee, who believes bringing back School Resource Officers from the Santa Rosa Police Department is a critical step to address campus safety concerns.
"We've had a few instances where students have used a knife on another student while on school grounds, and that's just a very traumatic situation to have for any of our students," said De La Torre. "The greatest resource the SRO brings is building relationships and community."
But opponents say there's a lack of trust between certain members of the community and law enforcement.
"Some of our students are documented and there's already heightened tension when it comes to their status and safety," said Santa Rosa resident Angel Ortega.
He and others are advocating for more intervention staff and outreach specialists, instead of bringing back law enforcement officers.
"They're closer to a pair of handcuffs than they are to a medical or mental health professional," said Ortega.
It's unclear how the program will be paid for. It will cost an estimated $1.8 million with an additional $400,000 for "equipment startup costs."
The city previously paid for the program through a public safety sales tax, but it's been almost five years since the board voted not to have SROs on campus amid protests related to police violence.
