Kane sheriff: Officers won't return to high schools

With the Dallas police murders and the 1999 Columbine school shootings in mind, educators from Burlington and Kaneland schools Thursday begged Kane County officials to keep sheriff's deputies in their buildings.

Sheriff Don Kramer shifted two school resource officers back to regular patrol duty at the close of the school year. He informed Burlington Central Unit District 301 and Kaneland High School officials those officers will not return.

Kramer explained Thursday he made the decision because he doesn't have enough officers policing the county. Kramer is down 18 total employees. The reasons range from injuries to military obligations.

“It's a little embarrassing the volume of emails and phone calls I get because the public doesn't think we're doing what we should be doing,” Kramer said. “We need to protect the inmates and the officers in the jail. And we need to protect the public. But I think it's going to be a long battle to get the funds I believe are necessary to run the office as I see fit. I'm just going to continue to cut services until I get the resources that I need to do the job.”

Kramer wants $1.2 million in new spending for next year. Keeping the school resource officers in place would cost $112,000 in salaries alone. That request comes against the backdrop of a $4.5 million county budget deficit for 2017. The county board must close the gap to keep property taxes frozen.

Burlington Superintendent Todd Stirn told members of the county board's judicial and public safety committee all the research after Columbine shows police in schools improve the relationship between youths and law enforcement for the long run.

“As we see acts of violence on an increase, and we're still mourning Dallas, now is not the time to tell our communities that we are safe enough, and we no longer need our student resource officer,” Stirn said.

Kramer said removing the school resource officers means it would take up to 25 minutes for sheriff's deputies to respond to any active-shooter situations in that part of the county.

“It's just not one of our high-population areas, so our presence there is not typically high,” Kramer said. “But you have to be quick to respond to problems at schools. You can't expect a school administrator to pull out their .45 and go charging down the halls.”