No snitching for Baltimore school police?
This story in today's Sun by city courts reporter Melissa Harris left me concerned and perplexed about the officers hired to protect Baltimore's schoolchildren.
Last March, the article reports, at least five Baltimore school police officers were at a birthday party for a school police dispatcher at a club in West Baltimore. Gunfire erupted, and a man was murdered. The gunman pleaded guilty to the crime yesterday, but not with any help from school police. In a club full of potential witnesses, only two came forward -- and neither was a school police officer. Melissa writes:
According to court records, none of the five school police officers could identify the gunman, who escaped and was apprehended almost three weeks later.
The officers told investigators that they were "stomped" on or "trampled" by other guests. Another, when asked why he did not come forward, said he was "shook up," according to a transcript of his interview with police.
A city homicide detective questioning him responded that police officers are not supposed to get "shook up."
Categories: Baltimore City, School Safety (Or Lack Thereof)
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Comments
In many states, school police only have police authority on school grounds. Most laws say that special police or licensed and armed school security are to be considered private citizens when they are not at a school.
I would say this officer, who was "shook up", had every right to be and the detective knows this. He was just trying to pressure the school cop cupcake into overcoming his fear and testifying if he saw anything.
I hope that the school cops really just didn't see anything instead of them being afraid to testify. How is a cop going to be scared to testify? Things must be out of control there.
Posted by: Joseph Lopez | January 17, 2008 3:33 PM
i strongly disagree with our school police officers not helping because it is their jobs they go to the same academys as any other agencies so it was thier duty to respond i am dissappointed in being a officer due to this incident
Posted by: wing | June 30, 2008 10:09 AM