Civilian armed posse patrols begin at Arizona schools.
Maricopa County, AZ- In a somewhat controversial move, members of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's volunteer posse started patrolling some Maricopa County schools as students returned from winter break.
Some parents were startled.
"They have guns? No, I don't like that and I can't believe something like this would be implemented without speaking to parents first," Susanne Ross said.
Congress is expected to weigh in on school security and gun control of some form, and Mesa's Rep. Matt Salmon put his support behind Arpaio's armed patrols.
Most of the schools that will be patrolled are located in county islands. The patrols will not be on the campuses, but rather in the area surrounding the schools. The idea is to have a visible law-enforcement presence around the schools.
Some 3,000 people are part of the sheriff's posse. While all of them are volunteers, even paying for all their own guns and equipment, posse members are insured by MCSO. The county would, therefore, likely be on the hook for any liability if some kind of accident happened during a school patrol.
Volunteers will patrol schools in towns that fall under sole jurisdiction of the sheriff's office -- places like Cave Creek, Anthem, Fountain Hills, Sun City, Litchfield Park, Gila Bend, Carefree, Queen Creek, Guadalupe -- which he said amounts to about 50 grade, middle and high schools.
http://www.azfamily.com/news/Armed-MCSO-Posse-patrols-begin-at-Arizona-schools-185966272.html
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Posse website:
Welcome to the home of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Posse. With over fifty different Posses, there are many ways in which the residents of Maricopa County are helping support their local Officers. From assisting with animal cruelty to searching for lost hikers, these volunteers do it all
The greatest resource that any community can have is volunteers. In times of need, such as a recession or depression, organizations of all types and sizes have to downsize. Unlike most companies, however, law enforcement can not stop just because of budget cuts or political views. The laws must be enforced and the citizens of every community must feel safe.
If you would like to join several thousand volunteers in helping the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, please see the Information page for details on how to get started. If you would like to know more about an individual Posse, check out the Posse Rosters, which includes links to each Posse's website, if they are available.
http://www.mcsoposse.org/
White House may consider funding for police in schools after Newtown.
The Obama administration is considering funding many more police officers in public schools to secure campuses, a leading Democratic senator said, part of a broad gun violence agenda that is likely to include a ban on high-capacity ammunition clips and universal background checks.
The school safety initiative, one of several under consideration, would make federal dollars available to schools that want to hire police officers and install surveillance equipment, although it is not nearly as far-ranging as the National Rifle Association’s proposal for armed guards in every U.S. school.
The idea is gaining currency among some Democratic lawmakers, who see it as a potential area of common ground with Republicans who otherwise oppose stricter restrictions on firearms. Sen. Barbara Boxer, a liberal Democrat from California, said she presented the plan to Vice President Biden and that he was “very, very interested” and may include it in the policy recommendations he makes to President Obama.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-considers-funding-for-police-in-schools-after-newtown/2013/01/10/e0044e58-5b3f-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9_story.html
David Dewhurst, Texas Lt. Gov., calls for state-funded weapons training for teachers.
Austin, TX - Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst called Friday for state-funded, specialized firearms training for teachers and administrators to guard against school shootings.
Dewhurst, a Republican, said school districts would nominate who they wanted to carry weapons on campus. The training would be more extensive than what is currently required for a Texas concealed handgun license and include how to react in an active shooter situation.
Dewhurst said the eight hours of class instruction and two hours of shooting training for a concealed handgun license is "not sufficient" for school employees.
"It doesn't teach how to respond emotionally and technically" to a potentially chaotic situation where young lives could be at stake, he said.
Dewhurst has a concealed handgun license and made his comments in a speech to the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation.
He didn't provide any other details of his plan or specifics on what the training should include. He said the amount of state funding needed would depend on the number of school districts that participate and how many people want the training. School districts would not be required to participate.
Clay Robison, spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association, said the state should spend more money on classroom instruction, not firearm instruction for teachers. The money Dewhurst is talking about would be better spent on equipping armed school security guards, he said.
"Teachers sign up to teach, not to be armed security guards in their classrooms," Robison said. "Even well-trained security guards with pistols are going to be at a disadvantage to a suicidal maniac with an assault rifle."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/11/david-dewhurst-texas-teachers_n_2458527.html