FONTANA, Calif. – Following an audit conducted by Redlands Police Chief Jim Bueerman, the Fontana Unified School District may be adding more security guards and cameras to safeguard its schools.
Bueerman laid out a 14-point document for Fontana school district Police Chief Alan Hostetter to review. Hostetter plans to assess the findings and recommendations and prioritize them according to cost-feasibility.
One change recommends district police be replaced with contracted security guards on weekends and late-night shifts, a move that Hostetter hopes will not only save the district money and permit police to concentrate more on the district’s schools during school hours but also attract more police officers to the district department. Currently, the department has four vacancies in its 16-officer force.
The audit also suggests the department invest in a computer-aided dispatch- and records-management system, upgrade the district’s alarm system and install video surveillance at high schools.
School board members, however, are concerned about the expenses, and some would prefer that other concerns take precedence over the audit’s recommendations. Board member Kathy Binks said the recommended security measures would be examined carefully, and a timeline and funding source would be devised for their implementation.
