Anoka, Coon Rapids police pull school resource officers due to new Minnesota law
ANOKA, Minn. – There's a security shakeup inside Minnesota's largest school district — Anoka-Hennepin Schools — with more than 30,000 students possibly starting the new year without officers patrolling their halls.
"We don't want to not have an officer in the school. That's the last thing I'd ever thought I'd have to do," said Chief Eric Peterson.
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It's the same thing Peterson told the city council on Monday night. Anoka and Moorhead are two departments who've opted to remove resource officers from schools, because of a new law regarding restraint and use of force. On Tuesday, Coon Rapids Police Chief Bill Steiner said the department would be pulling resource officers from Anoka-Hennepin schools as well.
"If we did use force, what would happen to the officer? What would happen to the local municipality? Would they be sued? Would the officer be charged?" said Peterson.
The new law states force can only be used when there is a threat of bodily harm or death.
Chief Peterson said one example of the confusion surrounding this law is that if a student is breaking glass in a school, the SRO would have to determine if that broken glass could cause bodily harm to other students and staff.
If the officer intervenes and physically restrains the student, Peterson believes the department and the school could face a lawsuit. He and Anoka city leaders expressed frustration that they first heard of the new law from educators, not lawmakers.
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"They certainly didn't talk to anybody with boots on the ground, they certainly didn't talk to law enforcement before considering the language and implementing this law," said city attorney Scott Baumgartner.
While resource officers will be absent when classes start, Chief Peterson said law enforcement wants to be in schools and won't be far away. And he's hopeful a solution can be found.
Steiner added that Coon Rapids police have formulated a plan for responding to Anoka-Hennepin schools in cases of emergencies, but officers will not be stationed inside the school buildings themselves.
"As I said in the council meeting, our relationship with the school is very strong," said Peterson.