Agenda 12-02-19 Item 8-a - Minutes

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31 1 Commissioner Price asked if the school funds this position for a year, and then decides 2 it no longer wants the SRO, would the person be out of work. 3 Sheriff Blackwood said yes, it would be a one-year contract with that person. 4 Commissioner Price asked if this would be a person who is already serving on the 5 Sheriff's staff, and would this person have a job if the school no longer wants the services. 6 Sheriff Blackwood said, no the person would not have a job at the end of the contract, 7 should ERA not want to renew the contract. He said the school has new construction, and he 8 anticipates ERA may want to increase the number of officers there. 9 Commissioner McKee said it is a question of equity, and SROs are being provided in 10 other schools. He said his concern is the safety of the children, regardless of where they attend 11 school. 12 Commissioner Greene said the Board previously discussed this, and asked if the Board 13 provides SROs for all of the charter schools in the County. 14 Commissioner Bedford said no, and asked if other charter schools have high schools. 15 Commissioner McKee said other schools have not requested a SRO, nor agreed to pay 16 for one. 17 Commissioner Bedford said the County provides SROs at the taxpayer's expense, to all 18 schools in the Orange County School district. She said Orange County Schools pays the 19 County back for these positions. 20 Bonnie Hammersley said the schools pay for the SROs, and the Sheriff's office is 21 reimbursed. 22 Commissioner Greene said she is not opposed to this position as the Sheriff is 23 responding to ERA with frequency already. She said there is a difference between a fully public 24 school and a charter school. 25 Sheriff Blackwood said he understands the distinction, and knows the BOCC is 26 concerned with the safety of all students in Orange County. 27 Commissioner Dorosin said there is a larger issue of SRO`s in general. He said the 28 Board should have a broader conversation about having them in any schools, as studies 29 question SRO effectiveness. He said children in schools with SROs are more likely to be 30 arrested for non-serious, non-violent crimes; and videos show SRO misconduct. He said if 31 there are security concerns, the schools should address them with security officers that do not 32 have the authority to arrest, and he hopes for a broader conversation. He said if the BOCC 33 does continue to support the use of SROs, there should be memorandums of understanding 34 (MOUs) that limit the roles of SROs, in order to prevent abuses and criminalization of low-level 35 crimes. He said he will continue to push for not using SROs at all, or having MOUs with the 36 schools to address the statistics. 37 Sheriff Blackwood said he appreciated Commissioner Dorosin's comments, but 38 suggested he talk with Cait Fenhagen, Criminal Justice Resource Department, about Orange 39 County numbers. He said his office does have MOUs with the schools, which limit the authority 40 of the officers within school, and are recognized as the most effective MOU in the State. He 41 said the top two reasons children are arrested in North Carolina are disorderly conduct and 42 fighting, for which his staff do not arrest unless it becomes dangerous to the life and property of 43 another person. He said the schools handle disorderly conduct and fighting. He said the local 44 SROs take great care to ensure that children do not leave schools with unnecessary arrest 45 records, and he take offense that Commissioner Dorosin would accept that a study from 46 another county could represent the work being done in Orange County. 47 Commissioner Marcoplos said brought this topic up at a joint meeting with the school 48 boards a few years ago, and the school boards want SROs. He said he appreciates that 49 Orange County has a lighter arrest record and practice. He said it is great if a school is willing 50 to pay for the SRO, and the County should allow it.