Katz Seeks $1.7 Million From State to Install School Metal Detectors

Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Panorama City) said Thursday he is trying to unleash state funds to provide airport-style metal detectors in the entrances of all of Los Angeles’ high schools and junior highs.

In a news conference at Reseda High School, where a student was fatally shot during a snack break Monday, mayoral candidate Katz said he has asked the governor to release $1.7 million in federal grants controlled by the state Office of Criminal Justice Planning. Katz said he believes that would provide enough money to place three stationary metal detectors--which he estimated will cost $3,300 each--on each of Los Angeles’ 49 high school and 78 junior high campuses.

“The two Ls--lock and load--are replacing the three Rs in Los Angeles schools . . . and we cannot allow that to happen,” said Katz, adding that he will seek the money through legislation if Gov. Pete Wilson turns him down.

Katz said the Los Angeles Unified School District’s plans to step up random searches with hand-held detectors do not go far enough.

But school board officials have repeatedly said that stationary detectors will not work on sprawling Southern California campuses, which typically have many entrances. On Thursday, Roberta Weintraub--the school board member who represents the mid-San Fernando Valley, including Reseda--said that if Katz obtained the money, she hoped he would consider spending it on more hand-held scanners instead.

“Unless we razor-wire every fence and close off every entrance except one . . . those fixed detectors wouldn’t work,” Weintraub said. “And if we did that, we’d never get anybody into school. It would take hours.”

Reseda High Principal Robert Kladifko said he was willing to try anything that would prevent another death, but agreed with Weintraub’s assessment.

“There’s 16 ways you can get on here,” he said, motioning toward the campus, “and then you can always jump the fence.”

Conceding that many alternative access points probably could not be blocked, Katz said he still believes the fixed devices would play an important role in reducing the number of weapons carried into school.

“You have to start somewhere,” he said. “You have to try and get control where you can.”

The school board approved the routine use of hand-held scanners for the first time in early February, after a student was shot to death at Fairfax High School. Previously, the district had reserved such weapons checks for sporting events and dances.

The district currently owns only 15 of the metal wands, which it is rotating among campuses. But officials have ordered 200 more--at a cost of $110 each--and hope to be able to screen at least 10 schools daily by June.

New York schools recently spent $28 million on an elaborate security system, which includes stationary X-ray machines to examine book bags and purses. However, Weintraub pointed out that most of New York’s schools are multiple-story buildings, with one main entrance, making such screening more feasible.