MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A $1.2 million grant from the Department of Justice will enable the Memphis Police Department to hire, train and deploy 23 new school security guards.
The armed resource officers will patrol the city’s middle and high schools. According to Sgt. Vince Higgins, spokesperson for the police department, the Memphis Police Department will attempt to have the resource officers commissioned by peace officers’ standards in the state of Tennessee in order to grant them arrest powers.
The Department of Justice funds will also go towards purchasing school safety equipment such as security scanners and cameras. So far, the Department of Justice has awarded almost $15 million to 174 agencies nationwide for the purpose of improving school security. The Memphis Police Department has received the largest amount.
