LETTER: School District police deserve respect

Two weeks ago, Clark County School District police were told that someone among a group of males may have had a gun in their possession while leaving the school. A video of the incident shows the officers being heavy-handed with the students.

As a retired 30-year police officer, I understand that the public does not realize what was potentially happening. Maybe the initiating call was false, and the students were not in possession of a firearm. Or, possibly, the possessor handed the gun to another subject unseen. Groups with the perpetrator will often create distractions causing the officers to key in on the distractors instead of the originator of the crime. A lot of things may have happened, with the end result of the gun not being located.

Now, in Wednesday’s Review-Journal, an article reports that four guns were recovered in three Clark County schools in one day. What the public should realize is that officers put their lives on the line every day attempting to make our schools safer. To walk up to a crowd of teens — with at least one of them possibly carrying a firearm — takes bravery and the officers should be commended.