Horne: Near-tragedy shows need for lawmakers to pass law allowing for more school officers

Contributed Photo/Courtesy ADE: State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne poses with School Resource Officers.

Tucson hero officer funded by new funds provided by ADE

Contributed Article/Courtesy ADE

PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne says on Thursday a brave Tucson Police Department officer funded by the Department of Education serving at an east Tucson charter school saved the lives of 20 students, saved their parents from having their lives ruined by the grief that would have resulted, and saved the lives of staff also present.

He added that Thursday’s near-tragedy shows the need for state lawmakers to act as rapidly as possible to fund more armed officers on school campuses and increase penalties for suspects who enter a school campus with the intent to kill or harm innocent lives.

Horne said, “For years, I have been pushing for more police officers in the schools, saying repeatedly that if a maniac Invades a school and kills 20 students as has happened in other states and could happen here, their parents would never recover. If they learned that the school could have had a police officer to defend their children funded by the Department of Education, and decided not to, you can imagine what they would feel about that decision making. By the skin of our teeth, we avoided that nightmare by a police officer, newly funded by the Department of Education annually, on the job arresting a man who was in a room with 20 students and additional adults, who said that he was going to make the students immortal by killing all of them.”

Tucson Police Officer William Bonanno, The School Safety Officer who confronted and arrested the suspect, had been at this school for just two weeks. The Department of Education’s school safety program provided him with funding. Just over one month ago, the department announced $48 million in added funding for campus officers. The Legacy East Campus immediately applied for and received funds to hire Officer Bonanno.

He added, “Only the heroic actions of the School Safety Officer, William Bonanno, prevented a catastrophe. He undoubtedly saved lives because of his incredible professionalism in that he was experienced enough to act quickly rather than wait for backup. The presence of an armed officer has sadly become a crucial element of campus safety, and this incident proves that beyond a doubt. The heroism of this officer means that more than 20 families have not experienced the tragic death or injury to an innocent child. As a parent who has suffered the loss of a child, I can tell you that you never get over it.”

He continued, “We cannot allow the status quo where not enough schools have armed officers to continue. More funding for officers and legislation that allows retired officers to become School Safety Officers or Resource Officers should be passed. Representative Matt Gress is sponsoring such a bill, HB 2074, which has passed the House Education Committee. It needs to be fast-tracked through the legislature and signed by the governor as soon as possible because, as we saw yesterday, lives are at stake.”

Rep. Matt Gress stated, “What happened in Tucson yesterday was an act of heroism that nearly became a terrible tragedy. Lives were saved because an armed officer was doing his job at the Legacy East campus. This proves that, sadly, no space is entirely safe, and we must do everything we can to protect innocent lives. My legislation will do that, and I call on all my colleagues, regardless of political affiliation, to get this bill passed, and I also call on Governor Hobbs to sign this bill when it reaches her desk. It is an essential, non-partisan issue that needs immediate attention. “