BS: school resource officers (SROs)

Subject: armed officers on school staff
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 Mar 18 - 06:14 PM

The latest US school shooting to make headlines, in Maryland,
is a story featuring a School Resource Officer or SRO.
While the shooting investigation is still underway,
it is stated that the shooter had a confrontation with
the School Resource Officer.
The shooter is dead; when I heard updates,
it was still being determined if the fatal shot
was self-inflicted or delivered by the SRO defending the school.

When the high school in Chardon, Ohio, was targeted by a shooter
six years ago,
there was no SRO there;
the shooter was famously confronted by Frank Hall,
who coached football, taught (math, was it?), and presided at study hall.

Between then and now, Frank Hall has been an outspoken advocate
for SROs in schools,
contradicting Trump's suggestion of arming schoolteachers.

Does the tragedy in Maryland today
prove or disprove Frank Hall's opinion?

Subject: RE: BS: school resource officers (SROs)
From: mg
Date: 20 Mar 18 - 06:21 PM

Good for the officer whoever she or he was. We need them. They say often when a shooter is met with someone with a gun, he or she will turn the gun on themselves. I think that is tragic,but probably preferable to some other outcomes. I think they could have additional duties in most schools.

Subject: RE: BS: school resource officers (SROs)
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 Mar 18 - 10:14 PM

The Parkland, Florida school campus,
where seventeen died,
had a school resource officer.
Outside,
while the shooting and killing happened inside.
If I read right,
that particular SRO is out of a job now.

Subject: RE: BS: school resource officers (SROs)
From: Rapparee
Date: 21 Mar 18 - 09:23 PM

Good SROs do more than protect. They serve as a connection with the students, someone the students can trust to mention "things" to which the administration would possibly brush off. Not every officer can be an SRO.

Chardon, Ohio -- I know it well. I worked for a dozen years in Burton.

Subject: RE: BS: school resource officers (SROs)
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 Mar 18 - 04:26 AM

Most areas in UK have Police Community Support Officers (uniformed but not exactly full Police Officers) and their role is as you describe Rap. They move about their area chatting to people and listening to concerns, and they get to know the youngsters, the ne'er-do-wells, the elderly, the addicts etc.

The school where my husband works has regular visits from the PCSO and he/she chats to the students (aged 11-18) and helps with any problems. They also get to know any troublemakers.

But the very idea of their being armed is appalling. I just can't imagine such a thing.

Subject: RE: BS: school resource officers (SROs)
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 Mar 18 - 12:54 PM

In my childhood years
there was nobody in the schools or on the campuses
who was armed.

It is hard for me to get my head around it.

Subject: RE: BS: school resource officers (SROs)
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 Mar 18 - 01:52 PM

It's very sad isn't it keberoxu? I've only ever seen guns which were carried by two airport policemen at Gatwick a while ago.

Subject: RE: BS: school resource officers (SROs)
From: Rapparee
Date: 22 Mar 18 - 08:06 PM

Come visit here, Senoufou. I can (unfortunately in some cases) show you more guns than you'll ever want to see. In fact, I'll even take you out to a range and let you shoot targets. You can use my single shot .22 (Olympic grade) rifle, which is what I like to use for target shooting. It weight about 5 kilograms and is about 110 cm. long. In brief, it's not exactly something you carry around with you. But it is accurate enough to literally drive a tack at 25 meters.

A rifle such as mine is for target shooting, as in the Olympics. I am opposed to people carrying firearms of any sort unless their job absolutely requires it (e.g., when I was in the Infantry my job required it as long as I was in a combat zone).

I do not want to see armed teachers ANYWHERE. Armed soldiers at airports (such as Charles de Gaulle), armed soldiers escorting money shipments (in the Republic of Ireland), and other such things bother me greatly. They bother me to the point that I just want to get away from it.

Oh, that also includes the British Army stationed at Heathrow the last time I was through there.

Subject: RE: BS: school resource officers (SROs)
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 23 Mar 18 - 01:15 AM

The British Army only has such duties in time of emergency.
They are not involved in security anywhere in UK.

Subject: RE: BS: school resource officers (SROs)
From: Senoufou
Date: 23 Mar 18 - 07:56 AM

My late aunt and uncle were crack rifle shots in a shooting club. They won prizes in competitions. Then one morning unannounced, my uncle blew his brains out in their bedroom. Their children were eating breakfast.
It wasn't an accident, it was suicide.

I really have an innate fear of guns. In spite of living in Norfolk, a rural area with much game shooting and farmers' pigeon/crow/rat control and so on, I can't bear the idea of killing creatures with a weapon.

Subject: RE: BS: school resource officers (SROs)
From: Rapparee
Date: 23 Mar 18 - 08:10 AM

I no longer hunt, but when we did we used all of the animal (even the bones). It is the only way to honor the animal.

I'm sorry about your uncle, but most who shoot never do anything like that. I suppose I just wanted you to know that there are people out there who are not fanatics, who will not draw a line in the sand. But remember this: no weapon of any sort that's in good condition can harm anyone unless a human being activates it. Otherwise it just sits there, a lump of metal or wood or whatever.

As I've been known to say about driving, I'm sure about me but it's the other guy I don't trust.

Subject: RE: BS: school resource officers (SROs)
From: Senoufou
Date: 23 Mar 18 - 08:39 AM

I do understand your point Rap. I'm sure none of the farmers round here are malevolent or dangerous, and neither are the gun sport folk.
It's just that with an automatic in one's hand, one can kill any number of people if one is so inclined. Or very angry. Or mentally unwell.

A knife is bad enough (and there's an increase in knife crime here in UK) but one can't exactly massacre dozens in one fell swoop.
Also, if an officer/PCSO is carrying a gun, an attacker could wrest it from him and use it.

Here, even tasers are quite restricted, and only certain Police Officers are licensed to use one. They're also obliged to give a very clear warning to the suspect before they fire.

Subject: RE: BS: school resource officers (SROs)
From: Rapparee
Date: 23 Mar 18 - 08:50 AM

Police are trained to avoid having their weapons taken, but anything can be taken from anyone. I personally prefer that if someone "needs" a handgun that it be no more than six shot, single action (cock the hammer every time you want to shoot), gate-load (only one shell at a time can be loaded or unloaded) revolver. Even better would be a return to the old muzzle loading days, where the cylinder needed to be charged with powder and the ball "set" in place, the ends of the cylinder greased, and percussion caps set on the end of each charged...lots and lost of handwork in both ideas.

I fail to see why civilians need a magazine that holds more than 10 rounds. If you want to play soldier, join the military and you can do it for real.

Subject: RE: BS: school resource officers (SROs)
From: keberoxu
Date: 24 Mar 18 - 11:07 AM

Now one area of this great nation
is suggesting that school students
arm themselves with rocks to throw.

Words fail me.

Subject: RE: BS: school resource officers (SROs)
From: Rapparee
Date: 24 Mar 18 - 07:11 PM

I'd rather the students and teachers threw rocks than bullets. I would like it even more if we had mental health policies besides "medicate and/or lock up".

Subject: RE: BS: school resource officers (SROs)
From: keberoxu
Date: 27 Mar 18 - 03:32 PM

Sadly one of the shooting victims died,
but that news is several days old at this time.