Deadly school shooting in Seattle prompts discussion on new safety measures

SEATTLE, Wash. — A search for new measures to improve school security dominated a community discussion Thursday night, following the deadly shooting at Ingraham High School last week.

Victoria Beach, chair of the African American Community Advisory Council for the Seatle Police Department, organized the gathering was hopeful students would show up to explain their needs and share their ideas.

“I feel like that's all we do is talk and there's not really any action taken,” Beach said at the start of the discussion.

The path forward could take many routes. Former school resource officers who were in attendance spoke out about how they would like a chance to return to campuses and building bridges with students.

“None of us wanted to depart the schools the way that we did,” said Seattle Police Capt. Pierre Davis, referring to the decision by Seattle school board members to scrap the SRO program.

Officer Matthew Roberson is another former SRO who missed being part of the school community.

“I really liked being a part of the school, being in the culture, having a mentorship group that I worked with," Roberson said.

However, the suggestion to reinstate school resource officers didn’t sit well with many people who took part in the meeting. Some see SROs as a threat and said gun violence on school campuses won't end because an armed officer is present.

“I'm not an advocate for the police in the schools. I'll just be transparent about that,” said Emijah Smith, a parent who drew a distinction between the handful of community-oriented officers trying to help and the larger institution of policing.

Seattle Public Schools unilaterally ended the SRO program in 2020. Ever since a 17-year-old boy was shot and killed in a hallway at Ingraham High, many students have been calling for better mental health resources and more counselors, as well as advocacy for safe gun storage.

“If you guys really want to learn how to change, continue to talk to your people,"said one teenager who declined to state his name. "Continue to talk to the community, and talk to the kids. Ask them what they need.”

RELATED:Should resource officers be brought back to Ingraham High School after Tuesday’s shooting?

One theme most agreed on was that people who don't belong in a school shouldn't be able to get onto the campus.

“So I don't think this is a conversation of whether officers should be in schools,” said one woman. “What are schools doing to make the building safer?"

Seattle school superintendent Brent Jones has said there are no immediate plans to reinstate school resource officers. Instead, the district is conducting a sweeping safety audit to determine the next steps.