In Life as in Politics, Timing is Everything

At the start of the new school year right after Labor Day I wrote a column referencing how many large school districts across America were reversing their emotionally based policy of canceling contracts with police agencies to place officers into public schools. This reversal is based on an increase of disorder incidents some of which rose to the level of criminal behavior such as assaults against both students and teachers.

All of this started as a result of the war on police that included a defund police movement after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. It was a politically motivated decision and was led by anti-cop groups like Black Lives Matter and other leftist groups advocating for some inane idea of racial, gender and economic justice. These are the last people you want driving public policy decisions. Floyd’s death had nothing to do with school safety. The decision had everything to do with race politics based on a misapplication of statistics. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin public school system was one of many large urban school districts that did a “me-too” by making the ill-fated decision in 2020 to cancel police in schools. The claim was that black, Latino and Native American students were disproportionately referred to law enforcement that could lead to arrest and criminal charges or citations. Let’s forget about the reality that this behavior contributed to a threat to the personal safety of students and teachers or that it disrupted the learning environment. It was more important to engage in identity politics than protecting teachers and students in the classroom.

In a study by the Center for Public Integrity, the data revealed that after canceling the police contract, Milwaukee high schools called police more than 200 times. Leaders suggested that the district reverse course and bring officers back to patrol campuses. In Pamona, California, a school shooting near a school prompted the district to bring back school resource officers four months after canceling the contract. The Denver school system increased armed security, and in Des Moines, Iowa parents pleaded with school board members to bring back police.

That brings me to the point I made about timing in life and politics in the title of this column. There is enough of a sample pool of data to make some determinations about the effect of removing law enforcement officers from large urban public schools across America. The fact that more and more school districts are moving back to placing armed school resources back into schools should be enough to convince other school boards to move in the same direction. But then there is Chicago.

Recently the mayor of the city of Chicago made the decision cancel the Chicago Public School District contract with the Chicago police department. He was criticized for this decision, yet he stood by it saying, “there is an intergovernmental agreement between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Police Department. To end that agreement, there’s no qualms from me there.” The news stories and data that other school districts are moving back to placing police in school must be traveling by carrier pigeon in the Windy City. I would think that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson did at least some due diligence before embarking down this path but then again it must have felt better to side with the anti-cop cabal. Johnson was elected less than a year ago. He replaced another Chicago police hating mayor Lori Lightfoot. This identity politics choice was a disaster as crime and violence rose through the roof under her reign. Chicago voters got a reprieve as residents of Chicago voted her out in the primary last spring. Johnson headed into the general election against an opponent who vowed to make public safety his number one priority. Voters choose the woke candidate Brandon Johnson.

Just one day after Mayor Johnson made the decision to cancel the contract to keep police in schools, the unimaginable happened. Three Chicago students were shot leaving one of them dead and one critically injured in a targeted school shooting. What followed was the typical empty rhetoric uttered by mindless politicians. Johnson stated, “A loss of life is horrific under all circumstances, but it is especially harsh when our young people are targeted. We do everything in our power to keep our children safe. So this hurt and I know our city is hurting.”

How can Brandon Johnson say this with a straight face just one day after callously saying that he, “had no qualms from me” with his decision to remove cops from schools? For him to make the statement that all of Chicago is hurting is appalling. The arrogance of this is breathtaking. That he lacked understanding of the moment demonstrates to me that he lacks the empathy required to be in a position of leadership. He might have gained some goodwill by announcing that he will reconsider his decision to remove police officers from Chicago public schools. That however would require political skills that Mayor Johnson appears not to not possess.

We always hear from school officials and politicians when it comes to school safety that we must do everything we can to secure the personal safety of the kids. Once again however when push comes to shove, politics wins out.

Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. is former Sheriff of Milwaukee Co, Wisconsin, President of America’s Sheriff LLC, President of Rise Up Wisconsin INC, Board member of the Crime Research Center, author of the book Cop Under Fire: Beyond Hashtags of Race Crime and Politics for a Better America. To learn more visit www.americassheriff.com