In response to a widely circulated video of a Baltimore City schools police officer slapping, kicking, and cursing out a student, the city is considering expanding its body camera program to include school police, too.
The incident has already resulted in the chief of the school police being placed on leave, and the reassignment of two officers; there’s also a pending criminal investigation. Mayoral candidate DeRay Mckesson is circulating a petition calling for Anthony Spence, the officer in the video, to be fired.
Baltimore plans to spend $12 million to equip police officers with body cameras; putting similar cameras on school officers would cost even more, and the cash-strapped school system doesn’t have that kind of money, an official said in a meeting last week. In any case, the school system plans to hold several public meetings over the next week to get public input into how to improve relations between students, parents, and police.
