On-campus school violence is down

Sun-Times:

In 1995, when then-Police Officer Andres Durbak was sent to the Chicago Police Department School Patrol Unit, violent incidents in and around schools were rising.

"It wasn't unusual to recover close to 50 or more guns a year in or on school property," said Durbak, who resigned last month as head of security for Chicago Public Schools. "If we went a week where a gun was not seized or recovered, that was unusual."

Last year, six guns were found on school grounds, an improvement Durbak said is one legacy of his zero-tolerance campaign regarding weapons and assaults in and around schools. In the last decade, that effort resulted in widespread use of metal detectors, surveillance cameras and security guards at the city's schools.

"We've gradually been able to squeeze the violence off our campuses," he said. "Everybody, I think, feels safer in our schools today."
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The city is on a record pace for students being killed; 34 students have died violently so far this school year. None of the deaths were on school campuses,

Weis and new schools chief Ron Huberman have said they need to find new ways to fight violence, both noting that most violence against students happens off campus. Last year saw 26 CPS students killed.

"Mr. Huberman and his staff have already said more than once that they planned to take new initiatives in this area," said Durbak, who spent 27 years with the Police Department. "And I have no doubt there is much work left to be done. But improvements have been made in the past 15 years.

"I think continuing to build safer schools definitely contributes to a reduction in the violence in the streets because at least it assures that this violence will not occur on or near our school property. In that sense, we're reclaiming territory from those people that are out there disinterested in safety and peace in our neighborhoods."