TOWN

OF DEWITT
POLICE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION
PO BOX 771
DEWITT, NEW YORK 13214


July 10, 2020


For: Jamesville-Dewitt School Board

Subject: School Resource Officer Position

From: Dewitt Police Benevolent Association (PBA) Executive Board

The Dewitt PBA Executive Board would like to offer the following input regarding
the retention of the School Resource Officer (SRO) position within the Jamesville-
Dewitt CSD, relative the School Board’s agenda point of July 13, 2020 titled
“Discussion: Decision Making Process for School Resource Officer MOU.”

The Dewitt PBA stands in complete support of both the position itself, as well as the
officer currently holding it. The Dewitt Police Department is a premier law
enforcement agency, holding accreditation from both the New York Division of
Criminal Justice Services, as well as the internationally recognized Commission on
Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). Both organizations hold our
department to the highest standards of training and professionalism, and the Dewitt
Police Department is one of only seven law enforcement agencies in all of New York
State to hold this elite status. Additionally, our SRO has received in excess of 100
hours of specialized and state certified instruction specific to being an SRO, a
department requirement to hold this position.

The SRO is a valuable liaison between the school, community, and the Police
Department. In a time when the public is seeking more accountability and
understanding of law enforcement nationwide, this position is critical to facilitating
those goals. During the 2019 - 2020 school year, the SRO for the Jamesville-Dewitt
High School handled over 20 documented incidents occurring at the school where a
Police Officer would traditionally be called, none of which resulted in the arrest of a
student. This is a testament to our program’s goal of fostering communication and
keeping our youth out of the criminal justice system while still holding them
accountable for their actions. During the same period, the SRO taught 15 classes on
various safety related topics to students, parents, faculty, and staff. The SRO has
assisted Officers from the Dewitt Police Department and other law enforcement
agencies with cases and served as a liaison between the school and the agencies.

It should also be noted that the SRO stands as a first line of defense against school
related violence. Statistically, school shootings last a matter of minutes, often the
amount of time it takes responding Police Officers to travel to the school and take
action to stop the threat. It is important to note that 44% of violent attacks in
schools last one minute or less, 68% are over in two minutes, and 83% have end in
under five minutes. Having a highly trained and armed Police Officer on the
premises will reduce the response time significantly, and when seconds equal lives
saved, there is no better alternative.

Some members of the public cite the disadvantages of having an SRO to be a
perceived greater likelihood of arrest and use of physical force against students. The
Dewitt Police Department is trained in, and employs de-escalation techniques in all
relevant situations. In 2019, out of 27,867 calls for service, Dewitt Police Officers
used physical force to overcome physical resistance to an arrest or defend
themselves or another person in only 29 cases, which is consistent with the
numbers of previous years. None of these 29 incidents involved the SRO or a
Jamesville-Dewitt student. In the two years the SRO has been in place, only four
students have been arrested, two of which resulted from a violent incident
occurring in the Officer’s presence.

The Dewitt PBA implores the School Board to look internally at our situation locally,
rather than externally when making its decision. While the trend nationwide is to
attempt to reform or defund the Police, and in this case to consider removing the
SRO from the school, we ask that you examine the positive and professional
relationship the SRO has fostered between the District and the Dewitt Police
Department, and personally between students and parents. Weigh this decision with
the safety of your own children in mind. Recognize that if and when a violent
incident occurs at the school, only the presence of a trained SRO will end the threat
to public safety and save lives. The Dewitt SRO has done far more good than bad for
our students and our school community. Students go out of their way to talk to and
seek guidance from the SRO, both while on duty and off duty. We ask that you
consider the training and merits of the Dewitt Police SRO rather than deciding based
on rare events that are occurring in other parts of the country. Please consider all of
this information when voting.


Sincerely,
Dewitt PBA Executive Board