DETROIT – A Detroit school board committee is recommending that the district have its own, in-house police agency.
According to The Detroit News, the new force would allow the school district to swear in its own officers, process arrests and increase the number of officers without approval of the city police. It would also allow the district to apply for grants and federal funding, although the overhead for a separate agency would probably be greater than that of the current arrangement.
Some believe a district-controlled agency would better distinguish the students who are merely troubled from those who are hardened criminals. Additionally, many parents believe this new agency would be less heavy-handed in its treatment of students than the Detroit Police Department.
Currently, the district manages 330 security officers and 80 police officers. The proposed change is supported by Detroit Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
Previously, Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans had offered to take over security for the Detroit public school district.
