Lawmakers speak out on SRO law

(ABC 6 News) – Republican lawmakers held a listening session today to hear from several community members about how this new Student Resource Officer (SRO) law would impact officers.

Nearly 40 law enforcement agencies have suspended their SRO programs this year blaming a new law that governs when school resource officers can use force. But still questions remain as to why the language was so ambiguous.

“There are more people attacking schools than anyplace else. And they now know there’s no security there. So, it’s kind of like a freefall,” said GOP Representative Zach Duckworth.

DFL leaders recently put out this statement saying they are committed to holding public hearings about SRO’s in the state’s House and Senate within the first two weeks of the new legislative session.

But that’s still four months away.

One of the lawmakers in the listening session today was Representative Patricia Mueller (R) of Austin. Being in education for 20 years and also serving on the house education committee she says that students learn better when they know they are safe. and SROs have been doing a great job at making schools a safer place to learn and lawmakers should not get in the way.

“And then having a law with such drastic unintended consequences is unexpectable and we need to fix it,” said Mueller.

The congresswoman stated action needs to be taken as soon as possible and the majority party needs to promise a fix and not just a hearing four months from now.