Instead of hiring 87K IRS agents, redirect those resources to hire at least 87K school resource officers throughout the nation.
- Partner with the military and law enforcement to create a path to becoming a school resource officer upon retirement (including their K9s if they have one)
- The training program must include exceptional mental health support for the vets’/LEs own well-being (especially if someone is returning from combat and/or is navigating PTSD)
- All participants must be re-certified annually to demonstrate exceptional skills, and physical and mental acuity
- Participants must be highly skilled at verbal de-escalation, self-defense (like Jui Jitsu or similar), and especially firearm usage and safety. Training should not be “one and done” but should be ongoing (for example: required to go to the shooting range every month, required to participate in a martial arts class weekly, etc.)
- The program should include monthly “Coffee Chats” so members of the local community can meet the officers and learn more about the program
- Should a resource officer ever fail to engage in an active threat situation then that should result in severe consequences
- The officers should be very well paid considering they are willing to put themselves in harm’s way to protect students and staff