Board OKs pact between Detroit Public Schools and DPOA

Monday, March 6, 2006

In an effort to enhance security in the District’s schools, the Detroit Board of Education approved a measure to hire dozens of laid-off Detroit Police Department officers in the coming weeks.

The board voted 10-1 to approve a plan that would hire nearly 50 certified police officers part-time. These officers will function in the same capacity as the District’s police officers. The officers will be interviewed and selected by DPS officials. They will work about five hours day and receive no benefits.

The Detroit Police Officers Association, whose members represent the city’s 2,300 patrol officers, will help bring its laid-off members to the table. Union officials say 141 police officers from the Detroit Police Department have lost their jobs in recent months due to budget cutbacks.

This new partnership with the Detroit Police Officers Association comes on the heels of several robberies and break-ins that have occurred at or near some Detroit schools in the course of the last several months.