SOUTH BEND, Ind. — REAL News Michiana has confirmed the security company selected to provide off-duty police officers at South Bend Community School Corporation high schools, has pulled out of the deal with SBCSC.
“As a security company, we give a product. Because of a lack of interest from departments and off-duty officers in general, I am not comfortable moving forward and giving a half-hazard product that doesn’t represent the quality of our company.” Neil Graber, owner of Trinity Protection, said. “We would love to still be part of it. There are great kids there and it’s a great cause.”
Last month, RNM broke the story about SBCSC looking to hire 10 officers for additional security. An email was sent to the entire department seeking interest. A similar email was sent to Mishawaka officers.
“Nobody has requested off duty employment at the schools.” South Bend Police Chief, Scott Ruszkowski, told RNM last week.
“We honestly haven’t had any officers put in paperwork for it.” Mishawaka Police Chief, Kenneth Witkowski, told RNM as the same time.
Graber wouldn’t make any assumptions about why departments and officers weren’t interested in the off-duty work paying $50 per hour. However, several officers have told RNM they don’t want to work for a school district that’s been pushing anti-police ideology onto its students.
There has been a growing movement from the radical left to push police officers out of schools. Earlier this year, an administrator for South Bend’s Empowerment Zone kicked an SBPD officer out of an elementary school the day after a school shooting threat. You can watch bodycam footage of that incident here. The local Black Lives Matter chapter has also been pushing for police to be removed from South Bend schools.
“People don’t call a security company if things are going great.” Graber said. “I don’t care what the media says. As a security company, we want to give the best product we can give. We don’t fold to special interest groups.”
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In regards to the South Bend Schools, I’m absolutely shocked that the SBPD, disparaged by the last two administrations running South Bend and a school corporation that has done the same, are unable to attract police officers to work for them at any price.