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NEENAH, Wis. (AP) — Several northeastern Wisconsin schools are working with local police departments to close a loophole created by the state's concealed carry weapons law.
School officials in Neenah plan to meet Tuesday to vote on a memorandum of understanding with the police department. The proposed agreement would allow off-duty police officers to bring weapons on school grounds, after the move was made illegal through the passing of Wisconsin Act 35. The law currently bans weapons from areas within 1,000 feet of a school, according to Neenah Police Chief Kevin Wilkinson.
Before the law was passed, any police officer, whether on duty or off, could legally carry weapons on school grounds. But now only on-duty officers who visit schools during a shift are allowed to have their weapons.
"A law enforcement officer is a law enforcement officer and certainly should be armed," said Ken Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services. "In essence, they're on duty at all times and they have to be equipped accordingly."
Since the Legislature didn't pass an amendment in April that would have restored the exemption to off-duty officers, local law enforcement agencies and school districts have to act on their own.
The Neenah Joint School District is aiming to increase safety and convenience by reinstating the exemption to off-duty officers, according to communications manager Jim Strick.
Appleton is working on a similar agreement, and schools in New London, Wisconsin Rapids, Ashwaubenon and Green Bay have already approved their own memorandums with law enforcement, Post-Crescent Media (http://post.cr/1n9TtkZ ) reported. Some other schools in the area, such as St. Francis Xavier Catholic School System, have no plans to seek a memorandum because they don't want off-duty officers to have weapons on school property.
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Information from: Post-Crescent Media, http://www.postcrescent.com
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