ST PAUL, Minn. — Today was the first day back for many Minnesota students, but the focus has been on who's not in some schools.
The law says officers can only use restraints on students in certain situations. Law enforcement agencies are showing different reactions to the new law.
Others are reaffirming their commitment to be in the schools.
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher joins the growing number of law enforcement agencies in Minnesota pulling school resource officers.
"Today, kids went back to school and they're less safe this year than they were last year," said Fletcher. "The primary issue is that officers need the flexibility to restrain a person on the ground."
Ramsey County had six SRO's in schools and pulled all of them. Fletcher said it was over liability issues.
The SRO's served several schools in the country, including the Mounds View Public School District and three alternative schools in Little Canada.
"We're going to see increases in disorderly behavior because those officers are no longer there all the time," said Fletcher.
Samie: "You see the value in SROs, so why take them out of those schools?"
Fletcher: "We can't have the risk of one of our officers being accused of a crime for doing his job; we train them to use prone restraint."
Samie: "There is an interpretation that the attorney general has talked about where it is lawful if there could be danger of death or bodily harm."
Fletcher: "The problem is, things don't start out being a danger of bodily harm or death. They escalate over time. And if you can deal with the problem before it gets to that point, you're far better off."
Sheriff Fletcher is joining the calls for Governor Walz to hold a special session to clarify the law.
"The public expects that issues this big, this important to their children, are going to have a full discussion with law enforcement input," said Fletcher.
As for now, Fletcher says his deputies who worked as SROs will still spend 75 percent of their time at schools but will have other duties.
Fletcher says he doesn't know how long those officers will stay at those schools in their new capacity because he doesn't know how long he can afford to keep them there since there's no longer a contract with the school.
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