Whose Police Force Is It Anyway?

School boards and districts are now facing a similar challenge that their college and university colleagues faced. Do you depend on the local law enforcement or do you employ a sworn in-house force? Some colleges now have a police force of their own, often supplemented by private security officers.

In Memphis, Tenn., this week, city school board voted to look into the feasibility of operating a school security force without officers from the Memphis Police Department. About 30 MPD officers are currently assigned to schools. In several weeks, the school superintendent is to report back on the cost of ramping up the number of security workers who now patrol schools and monitor after-school activities, including ballgames, but do not have authority to arrest. The resolution, offered by a board member, indicates the level of unrest on the board about police officers in the schools and its push to have a district-run police force, according to a report in the Commercial Appeal newspaper.