Pepe's questions solicit official memo

Date: 11/24/2008

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



SPRINGFIELD What started as a private e-mail exchange between a School Committee member and the superintendent of Springfield schools has evolved into a formal defense of the police officers assigned to the city's schools.

In a memorandum dated Nov. 7 and signed by Superintendent Dr. Alan Ingram and Police Commissioner William Fitchet, Ingram wrote, "I have consulted with Police Commissioner William Fitchet and Quebec Unit supervisors in examining the accusations put forth by School Committee member [Antonette] Pepe. This reply supports the valuable partnership between the Springfield Public School (SPS) and the Springfield Police Department (SPD) as it exists in the form of the Quebec program. I am pleased that Commissioner Fitchet has pledged his continued commitment to hold Quebec officers accountable for fulfilling their obligations."

Pepe told Reminder Publications, "I never made an accusation." Her questions about the Quebec officers came from concerns expressed by teachers at the Forest Park Middle School.

On Nov. 3, Pepe wrote Ingram as part of an ongoing e-mail exchange about several issues "Dr. Ingram you still have not said what we are going to do regarding the Quebec officers (QO). Why is everyone else in the school held accountable to the principal and not them? Why is it I don't see some of them when I visit the schools? How many times have you seen them or any one else for that matter? Why is it the teachers call the office for a VP [vice principal] instead of a police officer? Is there no communication on who to call? Many times teachers are told the VP is busy with another problem. The principal might be busy with yet another problem. Why are they not getting the help from the QO?

"These are issues and questions I have been asking about for quite a long time. Every time someone asks that an employee or employees be held accountable there are hoops and hoops to jump through. This is not personal; it is concerning the safety of our students and our staff. Many teachers are starting to ignore extreme behavior in the halls and other places because they are afraid of some of the students. Does anyone else get this or is it only me again? Sorry to be so blunt or sound rude but I have asked that something be done for a while now."

Later that day Ingram replied, "Mrs. Pepe -- Thank you for the opportunity to respond and I will provide you with a formal reply as soon as I have had adequate time to examine all of your accusations. I believe it is important to take sufficient time to substantiate the facts of a situation before responding or taking actions where appropriate. While I have great respect for your point of view and concerns, it would be short sighted of me to limit my diagnosis of any situation to just your assessment of the facts, as I'm sure you would not want me to do so with others from the School Committee or from any specific segment of the community.

"I applaud your commitment, passion for improvement across the system, and respect your elected position as a member of the School Committee; however, I would ask for your patience as we work through what arguably has been a system of random acts of improvement perpetuated by personal agendas that have not always been in the best interests of Springfield's students."

When the memo was released on Nov. 7 to members of the School Committee and school administration it was subsequently distributed to others in city government and was framed that Pepe was accusing the officers of not doing their jobs.

Pepe maintained that was not her intent.

Ingram wrote in the memo, "In their role, I believe that the 21 Quebec officers serving 13 secondary and alternative schools are doing a fine job providing students a safer and more respectful environment in which they can learn. The officers serve not only as law enforcement officers, but also as instructors in fields related to law enforcement and counselors to students, school staff, parents or groups that can benefit from the officers' wealth of knowledge."

The following are the responses to Pepe's questions from the memo:

"Pepe's remark: I think Quebec officers should keep a daily log of what they do and what part of the school building they patrol on a daily basis.

"Response: Quebec officers do keep a log of their daily activities. These logs are public information and available for review. In order to help ensure safety throughout the schools, Quebec officers are required to patrol the entire building on a daily basis. Daily log reports include the location at which incidents occur, but the Quebec officers are not required to log their whereabouts within the building minute-by-minute or hour-by-hour.

"Pepe's question: Why is everyone else in the school accountable to the principal and not [Quebec officers]?...The principal should be the responsible party to sign off on their daily routine.

"Response: Quebec officers are Springfield Police officers first and foremost and report directly to their police department supervisor. Per a Memorandum of Understanding between the School Department and City of Springfield, the role of the Quebec officer is to be responsible for all criminal activity and all assists requested by administrators, staff and students.

"Quebec officers begin their day at the Police Department level with a roll call. Upon arrival to their designated school, Quebec officers check in at the main office before 7:30 a.m. Quebec officers are contacted by the police department several times during the day and police supervisors make regular spot checks. Quebec officers are not to leave the school during the scheduled time shift without supervisory clearance. In those instances, principals are apprised of the officer's departure.

"Pepe's question: Why is it I don't see some of them when I visit the schools? How many times have you seen them or anyone else for that matter?

"Response: It is impossible for me to say exactly how many times I or others have seen Quebec officers. Nor can I intelligently answer the question of why you have not seen them. What I can say is that Quebec officers spend the bulk of their day responding to a myriad of situations. They are assigned to their school for the entire school day and remain on site an additional 15 minutes until the students have been dismissed. Additionally, when requested by school administration and upon approval by a Quebec supervisor, the Quebec officers will stay on site after school programs.

"Pepe's question: Why is it the teachers call the office instead of a police officer? Is there no communication on who to call? Why are they not getting help from QO?

"Response: Protocol calls for administration to act as first responders to any classroom situation. If an administrator cannot de-escalate or control the situation, a Quebec officer is called and the situation is handled from a law enforcement standpoint. Unfortunately, there has been no shortage of incidents escalating to that level. As of Nov. 5, 2008, Quebec officers made 87 arrests so far this academic year. Quebec officers generated 1,554 reports and made 624 arrests between Jan. 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008.

"To address the school you mention by name in your inquiries, here is some data on Quebec officer activity at Forest Park Middle School: so far this year Quebec officers at Forest Park have made seven arrests and submitted 18 police incident reports. They have sent six complaint requests to the Juvenile Court and seized one weapon.

"Last school year, Forest Park Middle School had 42 arrests and 26 police incident reports were generated. Quebec officers sent five complaint requests to Juvenile Court and seized six dangerous weapons. The majority of the arrests made at Forest Park Middle School deal with Disturbing a Lawful Assembly (School in Session), Assault & Battery, Trespass and Warrant arrests."