School police kept city cops in the dark over gun
Even as the city school police was sending out a statement lauding how well its force works with the Baltimore Police Department, a school spokeswoman was admitting that her department deliberately withheld information from the city force.
What kind of information? That school police had arrested an 8-year-old boy with a gun at Sharp Leadenhall Elementary School. That was on Thursday. Baltimore police didn't learn of the arrest until Friday.
And since it's Baltimore police tasked with researching the .380 caliber handgun and finding out how the kid got the gun, and whether any adults need to go to jail, that delay was costly. Detectives didn't even get to the 3rd-grader's house in North Baltimore until 28 hours after the arrest. By then, a search was all but useless.
Law enforcement agencies love to talk about how closely they work together, how they partner with each other, but in this case, when it really mattered, all that went out the window. What was especially suprising is that the school system told me they didn't tell city police on purpose.
Their rational: the suspect was just 8-years-old, and in a special needs school. So school officials talked to state juvenile services and to prosecutors about how to proceed. Meanwhile, the valuable time was being lost in figuring out how someone so young could come to an elementary school packing a loaded gun in his book bag.
Here is a statement from the Baltimore school system on how they handled this case:
City School police and school administrators were focused on supporting an 8 year old student that attends Sharp Leadenhall elementary school
On Thursday our priorities were to
1. Secure the weapon;
2. Ensure safety of the learning community; and,
3. Determine the appropriate course of action considering the sensitive nature of an incident with a student that was 8 years old ; worked with the State’s Attorney’s office and juvenile justice to determine course of action.
On Friday school police began to focus on the origin of the weapon. Our priorities included:
1. Notifying BCPD Friday morning (Southern district)
2. Providing BCPD with a copy of the arrest report so that they could begin a follow up investigation into this matter (arrest record sent to Southern District…later learned it had to be shared with Northern district where the child lives)
Presently BCPD is following up on more details pertaining to this incident through their investigative unit.
Typically this incident would have been transmitted via email but due to the sensitive nature of the student and the need for input from the State’s Attorney’s office and juvenile justice it was not.
School Police and City Police have a very good working relationship and are diligent about keeping everyone informed. However, due to the sensitivity of this particular case, numerous factors required consideration prior to taking action.
Categories: Confronting crime, Schools
Comments
THIS REALLY SUCKS!!!
City School police and school administrators ARE just as GUILTY as the parents!!!
I suggest an investigation into the conduct of the City School police and school administrators be conducted to evaluate their competency.
Alright Mr. Peter Hermann it’s about time you got off your collective backside and do what real crusading reporters do. Get to the truth!! This is an outrage!!!! Kids, Gangs and Guns and the parents know about it! There’s the title for your million seller “Kids, Gangs and Guns”.
Get that liberal rage you call a newspaper to get out into the streets and find out what is going on… Crime is down – snow is up…
Crime WILL go back up. The guns are being cleaned and the knives are being sharpened!
I suggest you visit the Southern District police station on the third Thursday of every month and see what’s going on in communities. Speak to people like Jack Baker and Major Scott Bloodsworth. There you will see citizens and police working together to fight crime in their community.
You were told: “What was especially surprising is that the school system told me they didn't tell city police on purpose.” ARE YOU GOING TO LEAVE IT AT THAT??
Find out - WHO was responsible for NOT notifying the police, WHY the police were not notified, and WHAT the board of education is going to do about this breach in protocol.
Posted by: Concerned Citizen | March 9, 2010 8:37 AM
this is one time I agree completely with concerned citizen , it is not up to the school system top cover this up
Posted by: larry g | March 9, 2010 12:45 PM
This makes me even MORE upset! I didn't learn of this incident until I went to pick up my son from school on FRIDAY and had the media inform me that this happened the day prior. No notification was given to parents (other than the automated phone message from the principal MONDAY MARCH 8TH - four days after the incident!) and a letter they are supposed to be mailing to parents (which I haven't recieved yet). Now I'm reading that because the school waited so long to notify the proper authorities that virtually nothing can be done?!?!?! I'm glad I followed through and filed paperwork yesterday to homeschool my son. This is absolutely absurd....
Posted by: LIVID PARENT! | March 9, 2010 2:01 PM
The school police need to be educated by the real police. Big mistake.
5 bucks says the gun was owned by the boy's father or mother's boyfriend, and that whoever owned it is a felon. I hope that the owner is charged accordingly and does not receive a PBJ or Stet.
Posted by: Joebagodonuts | March 10, 2010 6:38 AM