GIRARD HIGH No money for officer in school, chief says

The chief believes some people may be taking advantage of the department.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- Despite two safety scares in two weeks at Girard High School, city police still won't be able to place an officer in the school.
The department right now cannot afford to put an officer there, said Police Chief Frank Bigowsky.
Girard Detective John Norman said the department received a call from high school officials just before 8:30 a.m. Tuesday asking that an officer be sent to the school.
Norman said once he arrived, he was shown .22-caliber bullets lying on the floor of a second-floor boys restroom. By the time police arrived, school officials had placed the school on lock-down and moved students to one central location in the building.
The students were eventually released from school early.
Norman said the school was searched and no additional bullets or weapons were found. He said police have no suspects.
The bullets, Norman said, were not hidden but left in plain view, leading officers to believe they were not placed there for use in the school. He would not say how officers believe the bullets came to be in the bathroom.
Last week, police and school officials also dealt with a bomb scare at the school. Police reports said a man called Austintown police and said he was going to blow up the school because he was tired of people making fun of him.
How parents reacted
Steve Brooks of Girard said his son called him while locked down in the school cafeteria during the bullet matter. He said the situation left many parents concerned for their children's safety.
Brooks said he decided to pick his son up from school early Tuesday. Many parents, he said, judging from the long line of cars and parents outside the school, decided to do the same thing.
"The bomb threat is one thing, but when you find bullets, that is pretty serious," he said. "They might have to put a metal detector in that front door and kids only go in the building that way."
Bigowsky did not say anything about a metal detector, but he did say the department cannot afford to assign an officer to the school.
"At this point we are completely reactionary because we do not have people to place in the school. When these situations arise, we will have to handle them on a case-by-case basis," he said.
The chief said he would like to have a greater presence in the school, but reduced manpower in the department simply will not allow it.
Bigowsky said he does not think the bomb threat and bullet incident are related. He said some people may be taking advantage of a situation where they know the department is working with minimal manpower.
jgoodwin@vindy.com