Q: When I see students fighting or acting suspicious either on school grounds or nearby, whose problem is that to address? The police or the principal’s?

A: If neighbors are seeing some sort of disturbance or fight or something like that where kids are obviously out of hand or breaking the law, they need to call 911 because that will start the police response. Even if it’s on school grounds or out front, we will have to take some sort of action and will make contact with school administers there. There are quite a few school in Dallas ISD where off-duty officers are working, but some schools have them and some don’t. Even if they do, they off-duty officer might be in the school or on the other side of the grounds, but will hear the call come out and will go around and start handling it. Most of the issues with students are truancies-and we pick up truants when we find them-and then fights or disturbances of some sort. Typically they happen after school on their way home, and they’re usually off school grounds because right there on school grounds, there are teachers and administrators standing around.

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