PHILADELPHIA—The chief safety officer for the Philadelphia School District has resigned after months of speculation that he would be ousted this year.
James Golden Jr., a former police official with 30 years in law enforcement, was hired by the district in April 2005 as the deputy safety officer. Many school safety officers criticized Golden for rarely coming to schools to make sure everything was in order, according to Philly.com.
A spokesperson for the School Police Association claims that during the December 2009 racially motivated attacks at South Philadelphia High School where dozens of Asian students were assaulted, officers felt as if they didn’t have the chief’s support.
Furthermore, officers were upset about staff reductions, as the number of officers has dropped from 500 to 425 in the past year.
Golden resigned from his position on Aug. 10. His former deputy safety officer, Brendan Lee, will assume the title of acting deputy chief of operations for safety.
