From TalkingPointsMemo:
What could possibly go wrong???
South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) on Friday signed the so-called "school sentinels" bill that will allow local school districts to place armed volunteers on campus, the Argus Leader reported.
The bill emerged as a major point of contention during the current legislative session, but supporters highlighted the fact that the measure will not force any school to accept sentinels on campus. Instead, the law will empower school boards to implement sentinels programs — an option that supporters said is important for small schools that lack a robust law enforcement presence in their communities. But the bill drew opposition from many superintendents and education groups.
Under the law, the armed personnel must be trained by state officials and approved by law enforcement. The New York Times reported that Daugaard's signing of the bill likely makes South Dakota "the first state to pass a law that specifically allows teachers to carry firearms,"although teachers do not necessarily have to serve as the sentinels under the law.
Aaron Chalfin, a public policy doctoral candidate, and law professor Justin McCrary, both of UC Berkeley, presented a paper last November to the Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management looking at levels of police staffing and crime rates in medium to large American cities, 1960-2010. During those 50 years, they estimate that each dollar spent on police yields approximately $1.60 in reduced victimization costs, suggesting that many U.S. cities employ too few police, and that many cities could reduce violent crime by hiring more cops. Many countries, including some much less violent than the U. S. has twice the number of police per capita than we do. Austin, Texas, my home city, needs about 1,000 more cops, but the police chief says no. Being from California, he may be an old Reagan Democrat.
ReplyDeleteThe same conservatives who holler about a 39.6% top tax rate, while their parents and grandparents paid taxes at a 91% rate, need to learn about lack of federal and state funding for law enforcement. If we had more cops and fewer guns (including those carried by armed guards at schools) we might not be having this discussion.