Police departments and sheriff's offices across Minnesota that contract with school districts are reconsidering those relationships as concerns swirl over a new law restricting the use of force and restraints on students.
In some cases, that may mean the suspension of longstanding programs that use school resource officers.
"In some schools, school resource officers wear school attire," said Keith Ternes, a spokesman with the Anoka County Attorney's Office. "They may be wearing a polo with the school name on it. They occupy an office that is provided by the school."
Now with the new law, many law enforcement agencies may look for ways to minimize or eliminate formal associations with a school. That's because officers and even law enforcement agents providing security for sporting events fear they would open themselves up to lawsuits if they respond to criminal conduct with any kind of physical force.
Many agencies interpret the ban on restraints to mean that officers working in schools can respond only if they perceive an imminent threat of violence or death.
Meanwhile, police officers and sheriff's deputies on duty elsewhere — who have no contract with the school — won't be bound by those rules, effectively creating two sets of standards in responding to campus incidents.
"If they're acting as an agent of a school, the new legislative changes puts them in a position where in all practicality they have to remain hands-free," said Jeff Potts, executive director of the Minnesota Police Chiefs Association. "That's the rub."
https://m.startribune.com/fate-of-school-resource-officers-in-minnesota-up-in-air-police-still-respond-to-incidents/600300230/?clmob=y&c=n&clmob=y&c=n
