Ramsey: cops in Philadelphia schools should be mentors

Philadelphia’s Police Commissioner says it’s time to take control of violence at the city’s public schools.  Commissioner Charles Ramsey says he believes in installing armed police officers in the city’s public schools.

“We have to re-establish control and create a safe environment at some future point and time we can talk about withdrawing that and having it go back to contract security right now I think in many of our schools it has reached a point where this move would be necessary,” said Ramsey.

The commissioner says the officers assigned to the schools need to be chosen carefully. He’s not looking for people who want to make lots of arrests.

“We need people with the right attitude they need to see themselves as mentors, as role models for young people to really enhance the security and the safety environment of the various schools,” he said.

When Ramsey was given a $60,000 raise, Mayor Nutter said it was in part because he wanted the commissioner to help deal with violence in Philadelphia schools. The school district still has to agree to the arrangement.