Discussion of prevention resource officers heads to Charleston’s Public Safety Committee
CHARLESTON, W.Va. May 21 2021 Money to put or keep officers in schools is up in the air after Monday night’s Charleston City Council meeting.
Many council members want the discussion to go to the Public Safety Committee before a decision is made.
City councilwoman Shannon Snodgrass was vocal on her standpoint about prevention resource officers remaining in schools.
“I think when the parents hear that city council is trying to remove police officers from their schools that it’s been very beneficial, that’s bizarre to me,” Snodgrass said.
Other members like, Deanna McKinney and Tiffany Wesley Plear, want more answers and clarification on the grant that would pay for a portion of the officers’ salaries.
“I’m not saying I don’t want officers, I’m just saying I want a better understanding of what’s happening with these officers within our schools,” Plear said.
“Because I want to see exactly what is in the guidelines and I want to see if there’s anything that the city may be able to add to make sure these officers are in there for the well-being of the children,” McKinney said.
Some members argued that the Capital High School students don’t get along with their prevention resource officer.
Dominique Pope, a senior at Capital High School, was disappointed to hear there’s a chance the funding could be denied. He said he has a great relationship with his school’s officer.
“Yeah, they are very helpful,” Pope said. “They will help you with anything you need, you can talk about anything.”
As for the students who don’t get along with the school’s officer, Pope said it’s not many.
“You always have those students, the troublemakers, and stuff like that,” he said. “They love to cause problems, but they have been a major help here at the school. They’ve done a lot and helped a lot of people.”
Cpl. Gary Daniels is one of the three PRO’s in Charleston, and has been at George Washington High School for nearly seven years. He’s seen a lot and said a lot of students have confided in him over the years.
“One time a student came to me, I was in my office, and he told me there’s a kid with a gun in class,” Daniels said. “He told me immediately where he was at. I went right around the corner, probably took me 15 seconds to get in and get the gun off the student and everything was fine.”
If city council turns down the grant, the city would end up paying more of the officers’ salaries instead of just a portion, or the officers could be removed from the schools.
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