Goldstein Investigates: Rise In Violence At LAUSD After School Police Cutbacks CBS Los Angeles
Through police sources, CBS2 Investigates obtained video of fights inside classrooms and outside on school grounds. Some have said the rise in fights are related to a cut back in school police.
At a contentious school board meeting in February, the board voted to slash the school police budget by $25 million, cutting 133 positions from the school police, including 70 sworn officers, leaving just 211 officers on the force.
The board voted to use some of that money to hire counselors and social workers to try and prevent violence.
Joseph Williams is with Black Lives Matter.
Police on campuses have a hugely negative effect on students of color, he said.
However, an LAUSD principal who only agreed to talk if their face and voice were disguised said the schools feel less safe. Asked if the school police are missed on campus, the principal didn t hesitate.
Tremendously. It s a sense of safety, the principal said.
Neither surprising nor shocking.