WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Wednesday's ninth and final "Forum on Policing in Palm Beach County" was held at Palm Beach State College. It focused on law enforcement officers and security services on high school and post-secondary institutions campuses.
Maj. Terry Moore with the School District of Palm Beach County, Deputy Chief Robin Griffin Kitzerow for Florida Atlantic University and Delsa Bush with Palm Beach State College were in attendance.
"Our security people understand that we are more a service-oriented organization than we are trying to be law enforcement," Bush said.
From the start, the audience wanted to know what are the most common issues seen on school campuses. The answers ranged from parking infractions to property crimes.
"Dating violence, we do some of that. Not a lot of major crimes on campus," Kitzerow said.
All three representatives agreed they do have arrests on campuses but not at a high frequency. The collective opinion is to keep kids in school and making sure resources are available.
"So, whenever there's an issue with a kid, we are the last option, but we work as a team to ensure those kids are getting the resources that they need," Moore said.
Questions and comments came from online and the audience in attendance.
"Do you have a program for bus stops that would involve school police?" one woman asked.
What's the difference between school policing and policing on the streets?
"We serve very much like parents in our role, so it's more familiar and more personalized," Kitzerow said.
Everyone agreed they don't have all the answers, but they believe they can seek the truth together.
