Grand jury wants PBC school district to explore sheriff's takeover

A Palm Beach County grand jury reported Wednesday it heard “compelling testimony” on dismantling the school system’s police force in favor of patrols by the Sheriff’s Office, which the jury said has superior communications networks, equipment and pay scales.

The jury was convened by State Attorney Dave Aronberg to examine school security after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shootings Feb. 14 in an effort to prevent a similar tragedy in Palm Beach County.

The report, released Wednesday, asked that the school system “objectively scrutinize” whether a Sheriff’s takeover of the 152-member school police force is a workable solution to several problems in the school police department, including lower pay than other police departments and lack of staff to confront kids’ mental health issues.

The jury report cautioned that the panel was not offering an opinion for or against the continued existence of the school police department. But, the report said, if the school district fails to adequately fund and equip its police, “they are in effect wasting our taxpayer money and could be putting our children’s lives in danger.”

In response, the school district said its officers undergo extensive training and have succeeded in coordinating their work with the county’s municipalities. The district said the grand jury did not calculate the price of its recommendations, which the district estimates will cost more than $50 million, and did not take into account the different roles of school police officers and Sheriff’s deputies.

“School police officers cannot be rifle-carrying SWAT officers roaming the hallways of schools,” the response said. “They are armed, highly trained, fully certified police officers whom students trust to disclose crime, gang-related activity on campuses and even weapons on their campus.”

The grand jury report offered several additional recommendations, including Code Red training coordinated with municipalities.