Chief Burke: School resource officers discussion ‘overdue’
The South Burlington Police Station on Gregory Drive. Photo by Jessie Forand.
A conversation about whether police should be in schools may be overdue, South Burlington police chief told the city’s school board, and he said he’s an advocate for the practice.
The South Burlington school board spoke with chief Shawn Burke on Nov. 4, continuing discussion about school resource officers from October, when some members expressed concerns over the role of school resource officers — and whether their presence is beneficial.
The board’s focus on school policing comes amid a national discussion about departments’ roles, including the idea that they create a school-to-prison pipeline where students are being arrested in the schools. Justice organizations, like the American Civil Liberties Union, have shared fears of students of color, those with learning disabilities or those from disenfranchised backgrounds being arrested disproportionately compared to classmates.
While recognizing these issues, Burke said he doesn’t see the same trends happening in South Burlington.
“I do not see any alarming trends in the data to suggest that kids are being arrested, or that kids are being ticketed, and that the police aren’t doing anything other than acting in concert with district officials,” Burke said.
Still, Burke said he sympathizes with those who are unsure whether law enforcement in schools is what’s best for students.
“I don’t know if our perspective or lived experience has given adequate voice to those marginalized in our communities and I think that the discussions that you all are having now and that many communities across this country are having are more than worthwhile and probably a little bit overdue,” Burke said.
Having instructed drug prevention program D.A.R.E in the past, Burke said he understands what it means to be a resource officer and could personally speak to the board’s questions, including whether the job description needs updating, and what can be done to make the officers less intimidating to students.
“The job description of SROs looks like it was last updated about five years ago and I didn’t know if you had a chance to look at that job description since you’ve come on board and whether you feel like it reflects what the expectations and sort of the framework is for the SRO program right now,” board chair Elizabeth Fitzgerald said.
Burke responded by saying, “When I came on board I found that the policy manual in general kind of expired. The last time the police department was accredited most policies had last been updated 2009-2010. So, we’ve undergone an autopsy of that work, but I had to start with the highest liability and legislative matters first, and I haven’t gotten down to the youth service general orders or the related job descriptions.”
Diane Bugbee, a former member of the board, wrote in to ask Burke how often an officer might report to incidents involving students that may become aggressive, those that may become frustrated trying to communicate for example, and what kind of de-escalation strategies the officers may use.
The officers are an extension of the school district and would follow the district’s lead in these situations, Burke said.
“We figure out how to best serve that person in that moment in their crisis. And, you know, our goal is always to not use force, always our goal, whether we’re on the street, or whether in the school,” Burke said.
Martin LaLonde, a member of the board, asked Burke if it is necessary to have the officers in full police uniform, and wondered if there is any way to make their appearance less intimidating to students.
Officers working in the school district wear a “softer uniform,” Burke said, excluding the outer vest an on-duty officer might wear.
“But there’s also just a level of preparedness that an officer needs when he or she are on the clock,” Burke, said because officers sometimes report to calls off-campus if needed. Burke pointed to an armed carjacking that happened on Williston Road in May of 2019 as an example of this.
The department updated its use-of-force policies after the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota to have greater emphasis on de-escalation and requiring officers to intervene should they witness a fellow officer use excessive force.
Fitzgerald also asked about what kind of data Burke is looking at when he assesses the program. He responded by saying that when and why arrests are being made, how often they’re being made, and how significant the crime is, are important metrics to consider.
Burke listed arrests between July, 2018 and November of this year — “Three felony unlawful mischievous, six incidents of theft, four incidents of distribution of indecent material, one false public alarm, which is like a threat of violence in the school, one disorderly conduct and one procurement of alcohol, and 10 incidents of misdemeanor assault. So most of those were resolved upstairs in the community Justice Center, which is good, but those are, you know, serious crimes,” Burke said.
Superintendent David Young recommended setting up a way to listen to students to see what they think.
