City shouldn’t hire school safety officer

I appreciate your airing the views of your readers in the letters to the editor column, my letters included.

I understand, as the editor, that it is your prerogative to delete portions of letters to the editor, which you did in my most recent letter on school safety (“More reaction to school shootings in Newtown,” page A4, Dec. 28 Herald.)

In the context of school safety, I stated that the last police school safety officer, Grant Romaine, a Poulsbo police detective, resigned over constant accusations from then-mayor Kathryn Quade and Poulsbo city staff. He said he resigned because the stress from not only his job as a policeman, but the hostile accusations, were not conducive to a working environment he felt he could continue in.

My point here is that pointing out the previous experience with a school safety officer and how his career evolved with the municipal corporation of the City of Poulsbo might give the reader some insight.

Relatively small municipal corporations such as the City of Poulsbo, by nature, have a history of contentiousness within the ranks of staff and in the hiring process, due to their political character.

In my opinion, the safety of school children may or may not be served by a school safety officer hired by the City of Poulsbo. I believe having all the pertinent information available would help the reader be informed to make his or decision on this issue.

John Eastman
Poulsbo

 

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