Howard County Police Making Rounds To Schools

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Officers in Howard County have expanded their beats. Starting Monday, police officers began making the rounds to schools in the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS).

The Howard County Police Department issued a directive for officers to incorporate school foot patrols into their assigned beats this week.

The patrols include elementary, middle, high and private schools, according to a statement from the department. Each officer is encouraged to visit and walk inside at least one school, meaning schools will be visited regularly but not necessarily daily.

Already, school resource officers are assigned to HCPSS high schools.

"We are currently looking into ways we could expand this program into every middle school," the Howard County Police Department said in a statement. "But while we continue that effort, we want to take action now."

The additional law enforcement presence comes the week after two students were fatally shot at Great Mills high School in St. Mary's County. The southern Maryland school is less than a two-hour drive from Howard County.

HCPSS personnel have encouraged Howard County police officers to conduct their patrols around arrival and dismissal times and to have lunch in the cafeteria.

The March 20 shooting at Great Mills High School occurred at 7:57 a.m. before the start of classes.

The Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida, happened at dismissal time around 2:40 p.m.

A nonfatal shooting at Perry Hall High school in August 2012 occurred during lunch time in the cafeteria.

Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman also announced Tuesday that schools will be adding locks to the front entrances.

While Howard County and other jurisdictions take measures to increase school safety, there is a bill under consideration by the Maryland General Assembly that would require armed law enforcement at all Maryland schools.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is also urging lawmakers to enact a package of school safety measures he proposed after last month's shootings in Parkland, Florida. Hogan has proposed allocating $125 million for safety improvements in schools such as metal detectors, security cameras and other capital improvements plus $50 million in operating funds each year for new school safety grants, which could be used for school resource officers, counselors and safety technology. The funding would come through the governor's education lockbox proposal, which provides an additional $4.4 billion in education spending from casino revenues, Hogan said.

Lawmakers have said they are concerned about the source of the funding, according to WBAL.

In the aftermath of the St. Mary's County shootings, Hogan has called attention to the proposal, urging lawmakers to take action.

"The time to make our schools safer is now," Hogan said at a news conference Monday covered by The Washington Post. On Monday, the budget committee reportedly approved spending $41.6 million for school safety initiatives.

The governor said that time was running out for lawmakers to pass legislation. The last day of the legislative session is April 9.

Photo courtesy of the Howard County Police Department.