KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – A School Resource Officer (SRO) position at Loy Norrix High School and Kalamazoo Central High School has been approved for the 2021-2022 school year, as decided by the Kalamazoo Board of Commissioners Tuesday night.
Previously, the motion to approve the position had been tabled at the last virtual meeting, which was done because of community opposition.
The position is made possible through a partnership between the City and Kalamazoo Public Schools, and the officer is hand-selected by Chief Vernon Coakley of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS).
The officer at Kalamazoo Central High School would be from the Township of Kalamazoo, while the Loy Norrix officer would be from KDPS. The deal for having this position at Kalamazoo Central has already been approved.
Before voting on the motion at the Tuesday night virtual meeting, discussions took place earlier in the day during a virtual Committee of the Whole meeting.
Some callers had voiced their opposition to the concept, saying that the presence of a police officer can be intimidating to some students, while others voiced their appreciation for the added protection it gives.
During the Committee of the Whole meeting, Superintendent Dr. Rita Raichoudhuri was on hand to discuss the position.
Dr. Raichoudhuri provided a presentation that included a survey of students at the school, the majority of which either approved of the position or had no opinion.
According to that presentation, it is the intention of the position to decrease youth court involvement, support the safety and security of students, staff, and families on campus, and expose students to public safety as a viable career option.
A list of the “Do’s and Don’ts” of the position was also provided, and can be viewed below:
The “Do’s and Don’ts” of the School Resource Officer position. (Photo via Kalamazoo City documents).
“I think there is a misconception about SRO’s doling out discipline and providing consequences for students,” Dr. Raichoudhuri said. “SRO’s do none of that, school staff does that. We have behavioral specialists, we have school social workers, we have school psychologists, we have teachers who are trained in restorative practices. SRO’s are never the front line, or even the second or the third or fourth line. School personnel intervene first.”
She said that an officer wouldn’t get involved unless there was an imminent threat, at which point the principal would decide whether to involve the officer or not.
“SRO’s don’t make decisions, don’t make arrests, don’t intervene unless they’re asked to intervene,” Dr. Raichoudhuri said. “The simple reason is that we actually want them to build positive relationships with students, and our staff is fully trained in how to remediate behavior before it escalates. But if it does escalate, they are there to provide that support.”
A phone call to the police department would be made if a weapon was involved, but it’s much quicker to get a response if an SRO is already in the building, Dr. Raichoudhuri said. She said it would be proactive intervention, rather than acting when something is already happening.
In the interest of transparency, Vice Mayor Patrese Griffin said that she would like to see annual data reports to help see how effective the position is.
“I would like there to be some sort of annual report, or some sort of information that is kept on the side of KDPS, so that the next time this comes up, while I definitely appreciate what KPS has been able to provide, it’s very important that on our end, in terms of what we have responsibility for, we should be able to, at the click of a button, have this information in our wheelhouse,” Griffin said. “So whatever we need to do to make sure that happens for the future, I would like to see those steps be in place.”
Chief Coakley was on hand, who answered the call for data reports.
“At KDPS, we’ll begin to do that in the year coming as we move forward with the SRO position to make the year-end report,” Chief Coakley said.
Later on Tuesday evening, the Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to approve the positions. Both are now expected to be at the two respective high schools for the next school year.
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