By Eileen Buckley
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Buffalo, NY – More Buffalo Police officers are keeping a close watch on city schools to prevent violence and remove disruptive students. As WBFO'S Eileen Buckley reports, the city has expanded its School Resource Officers unit for Buffalo Public Schools.
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The goal of the School Resource Police Unit is to build relationships between city students and police officers. A total of nine city cops now assist at public schools.
The unit was expanded in February. Mayor Byron Brown joined the school administrators and police officers at a former school building on Clare Street off Clinton Street, where the unit is based.
The unit was expanded after the city and school district attended a number of community meetings, listening concerns of parents calling for better school security and safety.
Superintendent James Williams says they are working to keep students in the classroom. Acting Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda says the officers check for students skipping school. But most importantly the police unit works to prevent school violence.
The unit also patrols and monitors student arrivals and dismissals. But at the same time, these police officers are now able to keep a better watch on the city's "C" District.
But as the Mayor proposes to cut 43 vacant police officers from the upcoming city budget, WBFO News asked Commissioner Derenda how the Police Department is able to spare these officers to patrol the schools. He claims it is actually helping to cut his overtime costs.
The school district shifted its resource staff members for this unit from City Hall to the former school building on Clare Street to work directly with the officers on a day-to-day basis.
Superintendent Williams says despite major budget shortfalls for the upcoming school year, he has no intention of cutting this program.
The district still has its own security officers assigned to all its high schools and a couple of the grade schools. Most of the troubles occur within the high schools among the teenage students.
Police Lieutenant Kevin Brinkworth leads the expanded officers unit. But he admits it's a challenge to watch over all the city schools.
Buffalo Police Officer Lori Kmidowski is assigned to this school unit. She tells the student her goal is to make sure they enter their school buildings, happy, healthy and safe every day. She even took it one step further, offering students her personal cell phone number if they feel threatened by others.
Buffalo Police are now working to change the distrust some youth have for city cops, and return them back to their classrooms to learn and enrich their futures.