For a Campus Police Officer, It’s Been 22 Years of Kids Being Kids

Lt. Walter Nelson of the School Police of the Los Angeles Unified School District talked about his agency’s work in the San Fernando Valley schools, from monitoring the recent anti-Proposition 187 protests to daily duties.

The investigator, a 22-year veteran school officer, discussed the similarities and differences in youth over his career and the crimes against people and property that continue to plague the school district.

He stressed the need for communication among administrators, school police, teachers, students and parents, who also sometimes can pose a problem for administrators.

Through the years and all the contact with students of all ages, Nelson has decided that fashion changes notwithstanding, kids are still kids and if you listen closely enough, sometimes you can learn from them.

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Question: How many police officers are assigned to San Fernando Valley schools?

Answer: It varies depending on the shift, the time of the day and weekends. During school hours, the most critical time because kids, students and staff are on campus, we have six patrol units. That includes three sergeants. It’s broken down into three areas, and we have a sergeant and several officers assigned to each of these areas. Each area has about three to four high schools, and a host of junior high and elementary schools.

Q: Are there police officers at every high school?

A: Yes. Every high school in the city has a school officer assigned to the campus. The majority have two. At the middle schools, there are some in the Valley that do not have officers because our manpower doesn’t allow it. Eventually, I think the department would like to have at least one officer at the middle school also.

Q: What is the major purpose of the officers assigned to the high school campus?

A: The officers on campus are there to provide security for the kids to learn. The patrol officers do the same thing at the elementary schools and provide support to officers on the campuses.

Q: Students are becoming more and more politicized . Does that make your job more difficult?

A: The students are much more aware of the things they can do. They’re much more aware of what’s going on within the school community, and they know their rights, and they sometimes walk a fine line between right and wrong. It is also more difficult because our agency hasn’t grown much over the last 10 years. You have such a diverse group of kids across the area, and they are more mobile than before. They can live in the East Valley or in the inner city and attend school in the West Valley. It makes our job more difficult.

Q: Let’s talk about the 187 protests . They were something new, right?

A: That was a new experience for us, but I don’t have an opinion on the kids being involved in the protests. Our main focus was that the kids who were involved were not injured and did not destroy property while protesting. Our concern was that the kids weren’t hurt. We did not encourage or discourage them. That’s not our job to get involved with the students.

Q: Were they peaceful, for the most part?

A: They were. We didn’t have students injured. I honestly can’t think of any students who were arrested during the protests, but I don’t think we arrested any of the protesters.

Q: On any given day, what kind of problems can you expect to deal with?

A: We can expect any number of crimes from batteries involving students against students, trespassers. We may have to deal with weapons on campus, and that could mean knives and we would have to respond to those types of situation. It would range from those kinds of crimes to a simple fight between students. We also deal with rival gang confrontations that occur on campus or its immediate surroundings.

Q: Tell me about your jurisdiction . How far does it go?

A: We are supplemental to the Los Angeles Police Department. Our jurisdiction has to do with the school campus and the surrounding area. That could mean the park next door or wherever our kids are congregating and the administration is concerned that a child could be injured. We don’t necessarily make a point to go out into the community, because that is LAPD. But when we do have a situation in close proximity to the school, we would notify LAPD and respond if that’s what was needed.

Q: Which schools seem to have the most problems? Do one or two stand out?

A: In the past I used to be able to say that, but now I would say that the schools basically have equal numbers of problems at all of the sites. I can’t say that a particular school in the East or mid-Valley has more of a problem than any other place. They all have their share of problems. Some are busier than others based on the amount of traffic that may go through there.

Q: You’ve said that some school administrators handle their own problems to some degree? When do you step in?

A: If it’s a felony, of course, we definitely have to handle it. If it’s a situation where an administrator needs law-enforcement expertise that doesn’t necessarily call for an arrest, the officer may be called in to provide the technical expertise, but the administrator would handle that situation. It’s generally left up to the administrator and office at a particular site. But if a subject has to be arrested, we will make that arrest. If counseling is appropriate, then that’s what will happen.

Q: Have there been occasions when a parent has been arrested?

A: There have been those occasions, yes. There are situations when parents become disruptive in the school office. If that person is disruptive, uncooperative, and the administrator has a problem, we have been called and gone out and arrested parents for disturbing the peace. We don’t prefer to do it, but if that is the situation we have to handle it. It is also against the law to threaten a school administrator or employee. That has happened and that is a violation. There have been instances when parents have become physically abusive toward school personnel.

Q: What are the major crimes you deal with?

A: Vandalism is bad. Our biggest problem is burglary and vandalism. There is a tremendous amount of dollars that could be used for education and materials that is spent repairing schools that are hit by vandalism. It runs well over $1 million a year for vandalism alone. Property loss is another matter.

Q: You’re an investigator, and you do the follow-ups on crime reports? What’s most common?

A: Most common is burglary. In many cases, we are talking about professional burglars. I’ve been doing this for five years, and in many instances the burglaries were being committed by adult, professional commercial burglars going after the equipment that’s in the schools. The thing about it is that we will arrest a burglar who has committed burglaries at a number of schools. Often times we will arrest the same person again after he is released (from custody) from the first crime.

Q: How can parents help you keep the schools safe?

A: It’s essential to us that parents keep tabs on what their kids are doing. If kids are coming in with stuff that they don’t know how they got it, they should ask and take an interest in it. If it says LAUSD on it, it probably came from the school. The cost is passed on to all of us. But aside from that, if we arrest a minor for burglary, the parents can be billed for restitution. It’s important that they be alert of what their kids are doing. That would help our job a lot.

Q: You’ve been with the LAUSD for 22 years with the department . Have the kids changed?

A: Kids are kids, but times have changed. There is so much pressure on them now, I sympathize with the things they have to deal with. For the most part, the great majority of the kids are good, hard-working kids, and we only come in contact with a small majority of them. They are great to be around, and I’ve learned a lot from them and continue to learn from them. I think maybe if all of us took the time to listen to them, we’d be better off.

Q: Kids’ styles have changed to the point where gang culture has an effect . Has that caused a problem?

A: You have to be open-minded and not judge every kid you see in baggy clothes and look at them like they are gang members. You’ve got to be cautious in the way you deal with them. You can’t prejudge them. But you have to recognize that there is a gang element out there and you have to be alert about how you handle the situation when you come in contact with them. You don’t want to be heavy-handed to a kid wearing baggy clothes. It can be a sticky situation.

Q: How do you distinguish the difference?

A: By talking with them, and I tell officers, especially those who are new on high school campuses, don’t be afraid to talk to anybody. That is the only way you will know who is good and who may be bringing trouble on campus. You’ve got to talk with them, and a lot of times you’ll find that whatever preconceived notions you have will be dispelled if you talk with the kids and open yourself to be communicated with. They will come back and talk with you and tell you things. You can’t build a wall around yourself because there are 2,500 to 3,000 student at some of our highs schools, and in many instances there is only one officer. You have to counsel them sometimes. Even the gang members will come and ask your advice. You would be surprised.