School Partnerships with Law Enforcement Strengthen Entire Community

The San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) Police officers slowly, but carefully moved from room to room, checking for victims and active shooters. It was a tense situation, concentrating on the task at hand with the sound of screams and gunfire surrounding them. When it happened in June 2013 and again on Jan. 29, 2015, there were training sessions, held in conjunction with the San Bernardino Police Department (SBPD) and other first responders. In 2013, it was the campus of Indian Springs High School filled with pre-recorded sounds of violence and volunteers painted with fake blood. In January, San Bernardino High School was the site of the fake mass shooting. On Dec. 2, the men and women of the San Bernardino Police Department, supported by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officers, District Police, and other law enforcement officers, responded to a real-life active shooter situation. “When we train for a terrible situation like this, we hope it will never happen,” said District Police Chief Joe Paulino. “But, effective training is what prepared officers to take swift, deliberate action during the terrorist attack that took place earlier this month." “I would never wish for anyone, officer or civilian, to have to experience such violence,” Paulino added, “but I am proud of the District Police officers who trained and served alongside San Bernardino Police officers. And, I am proud of the amazing response of every law enforcement officer. I am also glad that our school district is also able to work with San Bernardino P.D. during happier times and more positive activities.” Active-shooter trainings are just one of many ways the SBCUSD is partnering with San Bernardino Police with a goal of benefiting the community. Students at Bing Wong Elementary School participated in a CSI-style hands-on lesson where SBPD provided guidance and assistance. Sixth-grade teacher Crystal Hall and her class arrived at school after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend to find the teacher’s laptop had been “stolen” with officers already on the scene. The police officer and crime scene forensics technician recruited the students to help during the mock investigation. The sixth-grade students catalogued the evidence, interviewed suspects, and took notes on everything they discovered. For an entire week, they learned about the skills crime scene investigators and detectives need to conduct a criminal investigation—including reading the body language of suspects, measuring a shoe print, and taking fingerprints. The students even gave a press conference at school to announce their findings. The primary goal of the week-long exercise was to introduce Bing Wong Elementary students to careers in law enforcement. Students who are interested in law enforcement can participate in the Public Safety Academy program, which is currently offered at San Bernardino High School. More importantly, however, may be the positive interactions students had with members of the San Bernardino Police Department and their eagerness to solve the “crime” of the missing laptop. According to Program Facilitator Peggy Castro, all of the students threw themselves into the assignment, eager to work hard because they had a real goal to work toward. “When you put responsibility on the students and your expectations are high, they all rise to meet it,” Castro said.