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officer at CMS
is warranted
School starts Friday but still no decision has been made to bolster police protection at and around Central Middle School.
The school system isn’t asking for much. One officer already patrols the school during regular hours, but CMS needs another officer from about 2 p.m. until ball practice and other extracurricular activities end around 5 to 5:30 p.m.
We’re not talking a lot of money here -- about three extra hours of patrol duty 180 days a year.
Last year and in previous years, there have been several high profile shootings and fights near Central, some of which are said to be gang related. Sometimes these incidents spilled onto the school grounds. School officials rightfully fear that one day a student could get hurt.
The violence around Central also hurts the school’s image. That’s too bad, because Dr. Beverly Boone and her staff have done a nice job putting the school on a good course. Central consistently does well on statewide testing and was one of only nine schools in the county to make the Adequate Yearly Progress standard last year.
The addition of an afternoon officer to keep order around the school would have another desired effect. The officer would be a good first step to renew community policing efforts in a community that wants it and found it effective when it was a citywide program.
Public safety is job number one for a municipality. Whiteville City Council needs to act on this immediately.