The Compton (Calif.) Unified Board of Education in July approved allowing campus police officers to have AR-15 rifles on school grounds.
There was no community input.
The policy allows campus police officers to buy AR-15 assault rifles for use on all campuses within the district. The rifles will be stored in locked cases and placed in secure but accessible areas like patrol car trunks.
Aside from comments made during the July board meeting, board president Micah Ali, Superintendent Darin Brawley and CUSD police representatives declined to speak on record.
The policy has not yet gone into effect.
Since then, residents have protested and demanded the withdrawal of the policy. This is their story.
View the slideshow on Vimeo.
Any school or government administrator contemplating this policy should carefully look at the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration’s experience with similar arming of local police departments in the late 1960s and early ’70s.
Monday, Sep 15, 2014 • Updated at 12:37 AM PDT
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Man-Armed-With-AK-47-Sought-in-Compton-275089171.html
Authorities were searching for a man armed with an AK-47 assault rifle after an officer-involved shooting on the Compton High School campus Sunday.
A neighbor called the Compton School Police Department about 4:20 p.m. to report suspicious activity at the school. When Compton school officers arrived, they found a man on campus who allegedly approached one of the officers with the AK-47.
A school officer fired at the man, who ran away. It’s unclear if the man was hit.
A three-block perimeter search was set up. The officers were backed by Los Angeles County sheriff’s K-9 units and special weapons teams.
The gunman was not found.
Sheriff’s officials said no students or faculty were on campus Sunday afternoon and that classes were expected to take place as usual Monday morning.