There's no doubt America's criminals seem to be getting younger and younger. However, it doesn't suggest that America's children are committing more crimes at a younger age, but what was once considered normal childhood behavior is now considered criminal acts often met with fines, community service and even arrests.
 

Sarah Bustamantes is a 12-year-old attending school in Austin, Tex., who was arrested for spraying perfume on herself after being taunted with words "you smell" from other students. She said she's considered weird and is often the target of other students. The police didn't have far to come when the teacher called them on Sarah over the perfume incident. They're right there on the school grounds, patrolling the hallways with guns and in uniform. Sarah was removed from the classroom, charged with a criminal misdemeanour and ordered to appear in court, according to the Guardian, a British online news service.

Also, according to the Guardian,  In 2010, the police gave close to 300,000 "Class C misdemeanor" tickets to children as young as six in Texas for offenses in and out of school, which resulted in fines, community service and even prison time. What was once handled with a "telling-off" by the teacher or a call to parents can now result in arrest and a record that may cost a young person a place in college or a job years later.
 

"We've taken childhood behavior and made it criminal," said Kady Simpkins, a lawyer who represented Sarah Bustamantes. "They're kids."

If America is hellbent on having police in schools, there needs to be some set rules and boundaries upfront and in writing as to what role police in schools will actually. There should be boundaries and lines they dare not be allowed to cross. Otherwise, there will be serious consequences like those that have taken place in many other schools around the nation where cops and kids have been mixed. Where even teachers, principals and other staff members, attempting to intervene on behalf of a student, have been threatened with arrest.
 
Mixing cops and kids has never had a positive outcome. That's just reality.
 

Brenda Manghane-Washington

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Now I have heard it all.  I really hate to burst your bubble, but you could not be more wrong.  We as cops have a pretty tough role when it comes to kids.  We are tasked with trying to protect and nurture kids at the same time.  Sure, a kid is going to be petrified of the uniform when one  drags dad to jail.  It doesn't quite matter in a child's eye that dad just threw mom through a coffee table.  These poor kids see things they should never have to, and it becomes quite easy to see the cops as the bad guys.  Every single officer that I work with has an extremely difficult job in protecting these young souls.  You see things in the most biased way, Brenda.  I now believe that you relentlessly refuse to acknowledge that anyone has any responsibility in any aspect of their life.  As long as there are police, you will have someone to blame.  If you can blame someone, you don't need to take responsibility.  You wont need to address the real problem.  Just like you blame crack cocaine sentencing laws on "tearing families apart".  Maybe it has something to do with the crack cocaine tearing families apart?  Just a thought, Brenda. j
 
Allow me to close with a couple quick stories.  Just two days ago, I answered a "disorder" call with my partner.  Turns out that two family members were going at it in the house.  Blood, disaster and mess was all that was left when the police took the instigator to jail.  My partner unfortunately had to play the bad guy, taking someone to jail who was obviously kicking and screaming about the horrible police.  Now, you may look at this situation and think "my word, how those horrible officers can tear that family apart."  Seriously?  Let's look at the problem.  How about we address the issue as to why the big bad police had to do what they had to do.  Oh wait, it's easier to blame the police.   I digress.  On with my story...   I am now left at the house with a petrified eight-year-old boy.  He is doing everything he can to hold back his hatred and tears.  I kneel down and talk to him.  After a minute or two, he slaps me five, and I shoot hoops with him for a couple minutes.  I figure a few minutes of my time may save him years of hatred.  Maybe not, but we have to try.  He ended up schooling me in the art of the free throw (I have no game). 
 
Fast forward to last night.  I'm on my way home.  It's starting to rain and I'm glad the day is over.  I see a bicycle on the side of the road.  It has a sign on the handlebars that says "Free".  Sweet, I think.  I know a kid who had his bike stolen last week.  This would fit him perfectly.  I throw it in the trunk and take it home.  A quick tire patch, adjusted chain, and some oil and that bad boy is ready for the road.  It's in the trunk of my car again, and will be delivered to my new buddy when I go back on shift today. 
 
Maybe little acts of what I call humanity can save a child.  Save a child from being crushed under a lifetime of ignorance and hatred.  Maybe it won't work, but it's our responsibility as parents, teachers, cops, and mailmen to do our best to try.  It takes a village to raise a child.  Don't be the person who tries to undo what is being done.   
 
Andrew Peker

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Thank you Officer Peker for your well thought out response.  It's too bad there's not a limit to mixing Mrs. Manghane-Washington's delusional opinions with the Chattanoogan website.  That's the real tragedy here. 

Biff Loman

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Change the word "police" to "kids" in Ms. Manghane assertion that "If America is hellbent on having police in schools there needs to be some set rules and boundaries up front and in writing as to what role...."  Then her next statement would also have merit: "There should be boundaries and lines they dare not be allowed to cross."  

The cops are not the culprits but perhaps the schools and politics should be more closely examined.  The cops are just doing what they're expected to do according to the laws and their superiors.  

Kudos to the cops who ride around with trunks full of stuffed animals for the children they meet and they know are suffering from neglect and abuse.  How about the cops who keep lists of latch-key kids and try to be at their house or at least drive by when they know the kids get home from school so someone is there to make sure they're safe?  And last, 'let ye who is without sin cast the first stone,' Ms. Manghane. 

Hixson

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The original author, I believe, is missing something critical, and I think it's unfortunately becoming epidemic here in the US. Somewhere along the line, I'm not sure where, we lost the concept of personal responsibility. It's not my fault I'm _________; insert the problem of your choice. It's not my fault I'm overweight; I'll sue McDonald's (true story). It's not my fault I robbed you; it's the system that made me poor. It's not my fault I'm a bad parent; my paren's never taught me how (true lawsuit in Michigan). It's not my fault I burned myself drinking hot coffee while driving; I'll sue McDonald's (true story. Sorry for multiple McD examples - I don't work for them).

In the end, we all make choices and we should all live with them. I was raised in a terrible neighborhood in NYC as a child, and I took responsibility for my life and got out. I have made any number of mistakes, and I stand up and take the results and hope to learn and improve. It's not the fault of the police. How about this, from the original story? Where were the parents of the children who were taunting the girl who got arrested? Oh, no; they're not responsible. Um, and the teacher who lacked control of her students? Nah, not her fault. Nope, it's the big bad policeman who did what the law required. Are there some bad police officers? Of course, just as there as bad clergymen, lawyers, parents, teachers, etc. In the end, we need to relearn the simple fact that personal responsibility is one of the basic frameworks of a civilized society.
 
In the end, 98 percent of the time the police are simply doing what we ask them to do; unfortunately for the police, we are asking them to take responsibility for our inability to accept any responsibility. They accept that responsibility - how can teaching that to our children be anything less than positive? After all, it's not my fault I didn't teach them, is it?

Frank Krueger

* * *

The responses to the original opinion piece are troubling. The fact that one response is coming from a police officer makes it even more troubling. For sure it must have felt like being raped twice for this poor child, Sarah, being taunted by classmates and then arrested by police over this matter. Then Mr. Krueger jumps on that tired old overly used and worn out mantra about personal responsibility.  What does any of this have to do with personal responsibility on the part of the victim? What about both the teacher and officer using common  sense? Something that could have been used as a teachable moment to discourage bullying instead turned into an arrest for the victim. What message did this send to her taunters? It's OK to taunt, tease and bully?
 
Let's see here. One responder admits he's a cop. The other appears to be the wife or some relative of the responding the cop. The other two, we'll just have to guess they're either the neighbor, friend, relative or the significant of a cop to come up with such lame brained responses. One can only imagine what's likely to transpire in these schools when unprofessional teachers with the help of equally unprofessional cops start teaming up on America's most precious cargo.
 
By the way. After reading the original opinion piece I did a little more research on the story and discovered the child victim is white. That should take care of that the accusation against the writer of always being accused of making every opinion piece a racial issue.
 
Terri Danyel
Alaska

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The school resource officer program, AKA cops in schools, is a great program.  The critics obviously don't understand. The kids get to know the officers as real people. They become friends with the officers. They go to the officers for counsel and for dispute resolution. 

The effectiveness of the program is hard to measure because its effectiveness is not measured in arrests. It is impossible to measure or even estimate the number of incidents and arrests that are prevented.
 
John L. Odom

Retired public school teacher

* * *

Terri Danyel from Alaska says, "By the way. After reading the original opinion piece I did a little more research on the story and discovered the child victim is white. That should take care of that the accusation against the writer of always being accused of making every opinion piece a racial issue."

Up to this point no one had mentioned race at all.  Why is Terri Danyel bringing that up out of thin air?

They also say, "Let's see here. One responder admits he's a cop. The other appears to be the wife or some relative of the responding the cop. The other two, we'll just have to guess they're either the neighbor, friend, relative or the significant of a cop to come up with such lame brained responses. "

Making a lot of crazy assumptions here.  One might make the assumption that Terri Danyel is "related" to Mrs. Manghane-Washington.

You know what's laughable?  Mrs. Manghane-Washington using one instance of cops and kids mixing with a negative outcome and making a sweeping statement, "Mixing cops and kids has never had a positive outcome. That's just reality."  Ridiculous.

John Bonner