Alabama lawmakers should increase support for school resource officers

This country is still grieving for the victims and their families from the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas earlier this year.

While the investigation to uncover all the facts surrounding the event is ongoing, there have been other safety concerns to students around the nation. Right here in Alabama, there have been threats to students that have raised the concern of parents.

Across our state, local community leaders and law enforcement are working to introduce and enforce policies to protect their schools.

One helpful step Alabama lawmakers can make when they return to session in 2023 is to pass legislation that would allow communities to increase the pay for school resource officers.

There is a current restriction on pay for some officers who may work on a part time basis or who are retired from their local law enforcement agencies. 

The current environment has made it harder to recruit law enforcement officers to serve our communities. Thus, additional incentives to support and add school resource officers is needed in our state. 

This legislation should be a priority for state representatives and senators to do their part to ensure Alabama School Systems remain safe for our students.

Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives and can be found on Twitter @Paul_DeMarco.