Letters: Regina's school resource officers misunderstood, unappreciated

“Over the years, police have shown our young people that they are their friends — not their enemies,” writes Randall Cobbledick.

Published Jun 24, 2023 • Last updated 9 hours ago • 2 minute read

Rather than being viewed as a threat, Regina Police community resource officers should be seen as a bridge, writes Randall Cobbledick. Photo by Don Healy /Regina Leader-Post

I wish to applaud Ted Jaletta and other trustees at Regina Public Schools for not bending to a proposal from a couple of concerned citizens. It would be a big mistake to remove school resource officers (SROs) from our public schools.

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I am speaking from experience as a retired educator who had more than 32 years teaching experience. The SRO program has been in existence for more than 40 years. It is an excellent way for police to “bond” with students of all ages.

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When the program first started, the police were viewed more negatively. They would walk down the halls of some high schools and be spat upon from time to time. That either does not happen now or is a rare incident.
Over the years, police have shown our young people that they are their friends — not their enemies.

Disrespecting the police and what they represent has significantly dropped. The police intermingle with students and help them with situations that affect them like drugs, cyberbullying and “belonging.”

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One can see how some people from other countries may be nervous around the police. They may have come from a “police state” or background where police are corrupt.

The SRO program is more positive than negative. It can and does prevent some future problems in children’s lives. We do not live in a perfect world, even if we would all like it to be so. But the police in Canada go through training geared to stay clear of discrimination.

Concerns that LGBTQ2S+ students, First Nations’ people and those from other cultures feel threatened by the SROs is ill-founded. The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” rings true here. Having police in schools can be our ounce of prevention to future crimes.

Randall Cobbledick, Regina

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Gutting seniors learning centre cruel

I write to express my deep disgust with the cruel decision by Dean Christie Schultz of the University of Regina’s Centre for Continuing Education to gut the Lifelong Learning Centre, which has served Regina’s seniors for so many years.

To do this without so much as consulting faculty — let alone the seniors who regularly sign up for courses — shows a lack of courage or perhaps, arrogance. It definitely indicates that there has been a good dose of ageism. As former faculty of the Lifelong Learning Centre some 20 years ago, I am appalled.

Being able to enrich seniors’ lives by sharing my knowledge, skills and abilities with them was a gift. I don’t understand how someone can be so cruel as to use financial concerns as an excuse for killing a fabulous program without consulting its users.

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Plain and simple, it is reprehensible to treat seniors — the people who built our city, this province and our country — in this way. Schultz must apologize and reinstate the full Lifelong Learning Centre programs now!

Bernadette Wagner, Regina