Dear editor,
Novato is a city with a small-town, neighborly feel, and families move here because it’s safe. Safety is precious, and it’s a precondition for public health, for renters and homeowners, for schools and recreation, and for commerce. And safety is especially good for children.
For the past 16 years, through the nonprofit NovatoSpirit, I’ve teamed up with the city’s most impoverished children, and many are from immigrant families.
All children deserve to be safe, so I’m in favor of keeping the Novato Police Department’s School Resource Officers (SROs) on school sites within NUSD. I believe that SROs have the training and skills specific to school children to provide the best safety possible in partnership with NUSD’s security team, North Bay Security Group.
It’s true that in Marin County and across our nation some police officers have caused grave harm, with racial profiling and overly aggressive use of force. However, my experiences with the NPD have been positive and all-inclusive. During the past decade, I’ve seen that the NPD has grown in diversity and employment of women.
During the past decade, I’ve witnessed how the NPD has become more attuned to racial and socio-economic equity. The NPD has offered informational Community Academies in Spanish and English, which have included NovatoSpirit parents. And several NovatoSpirit teens have joined the NPD’s free educational Explorers Program, which can boost them into future police careers.
I’ve accompanied several NovatoSpirit families to Explorer meetings, which are hosted by NPD staff from all ranks, including the Chief. With excitement, the students tell me that they appreciate learning about law, ethics, and proper police etiquette.
Regarding Novato’s police SROs, some folks would like eliminate them from all school sites within NUSD. But if there’s a crime on campus, wouldn’t you want an SRO already there—or at least nearby? With violence, each second makes a difference.
It’s useful to know that what happens at any school campus can influence what happens in our entire community. SROs can contribute to the city’s safety, due to their skills in creating connections and relationships with NUSD families. The information offered by these school relationships can enable the police to respond quickly to violence and potential crimes occurring anywhere in Novato.
I’ve been informed that good SROs have these qualities:
*They’re collaborative, and work well with students, school staff, and NUSD’s all-school security force, provided by North Bay Security Group.
*They understand how to build relationships and avoid mishaps through active listening and de-escalation techniques, and they understand the value of restorative justice.
*If a problem arises, they know how to invite the students, parents and school staff to be co-authors of a solution.
*They use force only as a last resort.
The NPD notes that “SROs are highly trained and have attended the National School Resource Officer Conferences. SROs attend the mandated 40-hour California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) course. SROs receive continuing professional development which includes de-escalation, procedural justice, and implicit bias training. In addition, NPD provides supplemental training on active shooters on campus, the Virginia Model of School Threat Assessment, LGBTQ+ Awareness, Crisis Intervention (CIT), Improving Communication and Tactics (ICAT), Human Trafficking, Child Abuse and Biased Based Policing.”
Maintaining SROs at NUSD schools is an investment in the safety of our children and community—and in the future we share.
Marian Huntington
NovatoSpirit
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