Teen's arrest in high-school hallway sparks debate about police program

[lightningandsnow]

Full disclosure: This happened at the high school I went to, and I was opposed to the police program.

It began with an insult in the hallways of one of Canada's largest high schools.

It ended with the arrest of a 16-year-old male student charged with assaulting a police officer while resisting arrest – the first such incident since Toronto police began stationing officers in schools full-time last year.

The altercation, captured on video and an instant sensation on YouTube, highlights the ambivalence many feel about placing police officers in the halls of their local schools.

Toronto's school board expanded its police program this September after data showed schools with a full-time officer saw a drop in suspensions and criminal charges last year.

But at least one high school was forced to scale back plans to join the program when hundreds of parents protested, saying they feared it would create more problems than it solved.

The altercation happened Friday afternoon. A tall, goatee-bearded teen was hanging around the halls of Northern Secondary School, a well-regarded school of 1,700 pupils, when he crossed paths with Constable Syed Ali Moosvi.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/teens-arrest-in-high-school-hallway-sparks-debate-about-police-program/article1316163/

[BoneDaddy]

1. After working in a high school

with over 2000+ kids I welcome our police presence. In fact, it has NOTHING to do with the police, per se, but the quality of the relationship the police have with the students. Our security has a fantastic connection to the kids and they are very much respected.

That, however, can go the opposite way and that needs to be squarely placed on the shoulders of the administration. Having an adversarial relationship with the students is the totally wrong way to go.

[lightningandsnow]

2. Speaking as someone who went to that school...

I can't say for sure, but I got a real vibe that the police were being brought in to keep students in line. We never really had an issue with violence, but in the last two years I was there, the administration started clamping down on things more and more - for example, banning replica weapons in drama productions, bringing in the lanyards, and the like.

[BoneDaddy]

6. yep, it can go waaaay overboard

which is a shame.

[LiberalFighter]

3. IMO the problem is the size of schools. 1700 is too big!

It should be kept 1500 or under. Maybe the size should be dependent on the number of teachers and support staff that they can all recognize as belonging there. If they keep the staff and support people small enough so they know when someone should not be there it would also mean that they would know more of the students. IMO when young people know that adults know who they are they are more likely to behave themselves.

[brendan120678]

4. Most of the high schools, and many...

of the middle schools/jr. highs in this area have "Resource Officers." From what I can tell (and my wife is on the Board of Education in our town) they seem to be quite helpful, in most situations.

[lightningandsnow]

8. I guess it seems to depend on the reason for bringing them in...

in my former school, it seemed to be part of a bigger pattern of clamping down on students, which is part of why I was opposed.

[Bigmack]

5. Our resource cop was great...

The kids loved him... he was funny and always available for the kids.

I was very nervous about having a cop in the schools. I was more of the "pigs off campus" generation. When Officer ------- showed up, all that changed.
He gave the kids the straight scoop about things like DUI and pot possession and like that... with no bullshit lectures.

Maybe a different guy would be a disaster, but our guy was great.

[Echo In Light]

7. "forced to scale back plans to join the program when hundreds of parents protested"

:thumbsup: