Thanks for sending this to me.

From: Linda Geevers [mailto:lgeevers@WestWindsorTwp.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2018 1:12 PM
To: Ane Rudorfer; Alison Miller; Jyotika Bahree; Ayesha Hamilton; Virginia Manzari
Cc: MAYOR'SOFFICE; Marlena Schmid; Garofalo@westwindsorpolice.com; Mark Lee (Police); Aderhold, David
Subject: RE: Upcoming Vote on Armed Police Officers in Schoolsa

Ane,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the proposed Shared Services Agreement. It is anticipated that this Agreement will be placed on Council’s July 30^th Business Agenda

From: Ane Rudorfer [mailto:aner0807@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2018 12:18 PM
To: Alison Miller; Jyotika Bahree; Linda Geevers; Ayesha Hamilton; Virginia Manzari
Subject: Upcoming Vote on Armed Police Officers in Schools

Dear West Windsor Town Council,

My name is Ane Rudorfer, and I am a resident of West Windsor and a 2015 graduate of WW-P South. It has recently come to my attention that the WW-P school board has approved a plan to put in place armed officers in schools. I am writing this letter in order to request that the town council halt the plan to have armed police in schools.

I understand that the impetus for the creation of this policy is a response to the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida this past February. While the reason for installing armed police officers in school is to guarantee student safety in case of a violent response, there is no specific evidence that it will do so. A 2013 study by the Congressional Research Service found no evidence that schools with SROs had fewer shootings than those without them. In fact, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School had an SRO stationed outside of the school, which did nothing to prevent a shooting. In addition to not fulfilling the purpose of making schools safer, placing SROs in schools can have unintended consequences. Schools with SROs arrest twice as many students as those without SROs. Often students are arrested for trivial infractions such as throwing paper airplanes and wearing sagging pants.

I also have several concerns about the proposed policy that I have addressed. They are the following:

1. Will SROs receive special training on how to interact with students in a way that considers their age (e.g. differentiation in policing strategies between elementary, middle, and high school)?

2. In what parts of schools will police officers be stationed?

3. Will SROs have the power to arrest students on school property, or will students who commit behavioral infractions be referred to the school administration? If so, for what particular infractions?

4. If SROs are not able to arrest students on school property, will they be able to refer students for arrest. If so, for what infractions?

5. Will SROs be required to carry guns with Smartgun technology (e.g. guns that automatically lock and cannot be unlocked without the owner’s fingerprint scan)?

6. In what cases will SROs be allowed to fire their weapons?

7. Where will SROs be required to store their guns?

8. What steps will the town council and the school board take to ensure that weapons do not fall into the wrong hands?

Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns. I hope to hear back from you soon.

Sincerely, Ane

--

Ane Rudorfer

Borgen Project Ambassador

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