PRESS RELEASE DETAIL

Office of the Mayor-President


For release: IMMEDIATELY

Release Date: 08/08/2005

MAYOR ANNOUNCES EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN SCHOOL SYSTEM

August 8, 2005
For release: IMMEDIATELY
For more information contact: Hampton Grunewald, (225) 389-5161


MAYOR AND POLICE CHIEF ANNOUNCE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS FOR HIGH SCHOOLS

DARE PROGRAM TO BE TRANSFERRED TO CONSTABLE’S OFFICE



Mayor-President Melvin L. “Kip” Holden, Police Chief Jeff LeDuff and Constable Reginald Brown announced plans today to revamp the way law enforcement interfaces with Baton Rouge schools to prevent school violence and deliver drug education programs.

The Baton Rouge City Police will launch a pilot program for a “School Resource Officers Unit”, or SRO, which will focus on placing officers in area high schools to serve as resources for students, teachers and parents and serve as positive role models for creating safe school environments.

“Our hope is that these SRO trained officers become positive role models who can instill in students how to exercise good judgment, respect for teachers and fellow students, and pride in the school community,” Holden said.

Holden is asking the Metro Council to approve the transfer of grant funds for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, commonly known as DARE, to the City Constable’s office for continued implementation.

Chief LeDuff will launch the SRO program for high schools within the City of Baton Rouge which are under the jurisdiction of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. According to LeDuff, the officers’ mission will be to work to prevent school-related violence and crime committed by juveniles and young adults in our schools, as well as provide programs to address conflict resolution, bullying, drug and alcohol education, traffic safety and other issues facing students today.

“Throughout the campaign for Mayor and during our transition process when we went out into the community to talk to citizens about their concerns, education was always a top priority,” Holden said. “Parents want to know how we can keep our schools safe for our children, how we can decrease truancy, how the police can help before there is a problem. This program will provide trained police officers as a resource to parents, teachers and students so we can begin making Baton Rouge a true Learning Community.”


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