ORANGE : Board Argues Plans for Campus Security

The Orange Unified School District board has postponed until June a decision on hiring security guards for each of the four high school campuses.

The board had considered two plans, one consisting of hiring a “resource officer” or security guard for each high school.

The guards would be equipped with radios and use a golf cart to patrol the campuses, costing about $99,000 the first year.

The second plan involved hiring armed police officers, in cooperation with the city of Orange, to patrol the campuses of El Modena and Orange high schools at an annual cost of $84,000. The city would split this cost.

The debate grew heated as board members disagreed over which plan would best ensure student safety and be financially prudent. Board member Russell Barrios sharply criticized the plan for armed officers, warning that “the odds are they’ll shoot one of my students.”

But other board members doubted whether an unarmed resource officer would be equipped or qualified to handle the increasing problems found on school grounds.

“There is gang activity that you are not going to stop (by hiring) a guy in a golf cart waving a baton,” board president Jeff Holstien said.

The cost of both programs was also a concern. Board member John Hurley, who supports the plan for armed officers, accused the city of overcharging the district for police services.

“The criminal element is in City Hall as well as on campus and we are being held up with these outrageous fees,” he said.

The board has been considering proposals to make the campuses of El Modena and Orange high schools more secure since January, but the latest staff report recommends security personnel for all four city high schools to counter gang activity, vandalism and other problems.

The issue will be reconsidered when budget priorities are set next month.