The McComb school board held its first public discussion of setting up a district police department, with security director Marcus Gatlin fielding questions from trustees for an hour Tuesday.
Board chairman Kizzy Coney said the topic will not be on the agenda for next week’s meeting. She said trustees want to take their time on the issue and make sure that parents understand what’s being considered.
Superintendent Dr. Cederick Ellis said Gatlin, who became the district’s security director this summer, proposed the idea. Ellis said that at least three school districts in the state — Jackson, Meridian and Hattiesburg — have set up their own police departments, which requires approval from the Mississippi Department of Education.
In an interview after the work session, Ellis said there has been no specific security issue or threat of violence at any of McComb’s eight school buildings that prompted the idea of creating a police department. He said Gatlin had been researching the matter long before last week’s shooting at a school in Michigan, where a 15-year-old is accused of killing four students.
Ellis said the main advantage to having a school police department is that it would require certified, trained officers who would be able to perform many of the public safety duties that city police officers can — everything from making arrests on campuses to issuing traffic citations around school property.
“If the school board approves this, Marcus Gatlin has done all the legwork to get it approved by the Department of Education,” he added.
Coney was among the board members who had plenty of questions for Gatlin.
She noted that the district’s security team includes Gatlin and just three other officers, and asked how they would be able to cover all eight locations.
“For us to say we’re a safe school, we have to have a body at each school,” she said.
Coney also was concerned about an armed officer in schools, saying that many kids see enough guns at home, and the district should be careful about bringing a weapon into school buildings.
“My thing is this: Could we push back and try everything else before we have people walking around with guns?” Coney asked, referring to officers. Ellis said the current security officers now have the option to carry a weapon in a school building.
Gatlin replied that if an armed shooter gets into a school, an officer needs a gun to protect himself and to respond to the threat.
“Anywhere police officers are needed, we need to have the proper equipment so we can function,” he added.
Trustee Eliece Rayborn asked if metal detectors installed at schools have kept weapons out. Gatlin said the detectors are a deterrent, as are video cameras at entrances, but are unlikely to keep all weapons away from a school.
Trustee Lynn Martin asked Ellis and board attorney Kashonda Day if the district is prepared for a weapons incident at a school. She also wanted to know if families could sue the district if such an incident occurred.
“Anybody can sue anyone,” Day replied.
