Watro introduces bill to expand authority of school police
HARRISBURG – As more and more school districts add police forces, a local legislator wants to give their officers the ability to take action off school grounds to manage school-related incidents.
State Rep. Dane Watro (R-Schuylkill/Luzerne) announced plans Wednesday to introduce legislation he says “would give school police officers the ability to act outside immediate school property and allow them to manage school-related incidents on adjacent roads and areas or in ‘hot pursuit’ of threats.”
“Granting school police officers extraterritorial authority will ensure school police officers have the same power as municipal police when managing school-related safety,” said Watro. “It’s a common-sense, legally grounded measure that will give school police the tools they need to protect our children, wherever that protection is needed.”
Watro says that, if the bill passes, school police with extraterritorial authority can serve as a critical supplement to local law enforcement, enabling a more effective, coordinated response.
In the past few years, local school districts have either added or expanded police forces to protect school property. Shenandoah Valley and Mahanoy Area added departments in 2023 and Hazleton Area has expanded theirs in recent years.
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