Police Officers are Friends, not Foes

Student Chief Council (SCC) is a “student centered mentoring group between selected students and the Palos Verdes Estates Police Chief” (pvhigh.com). In this leadership program, ten student members work directly with the Chief of Police Mark Velez at the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department.

The program meets monthly to discuss decision-making and is part of a multi-pronged process being implemented by the PVEPD to improve student-police relations.

“We’re not the bad guys,” stressed Velez. “We’re actually here to take care of the kids.”

To contradict what Chief Velez perceives to be the general student consensus, the frequent police visits will not be to serve parking tickets, but to destigmatize the notion of an adversarial dichotomy between police and teens.

Members were chosen last year at the program’s foundation by Chief Velez. Applicants submitted responses to questions about what makes applicants unique and prompts designed to be judges of character.

Later, applicants attended interviews conducted by former Principal Dr. Charles Park.

“I was part of the inaugural student chief council last year, along with everyone else in it,” said member Lane Karlitz. “[The SCC] is the link between the police department and the high school.”

This link will be crucial; with school shootings as a frequent topic in the news, students will need to feel safe.

Chief Velez believes that students can feel safe when students can trust the police officers who will come to their aid in the event of an emergency.

SCC coincidentally met during the lockdown last year on April 26, when PVHS was put into lockdown in response to the perceived gun threat. The meeting involved communication between members and Chief Velez, who returned intermittently to the office to provide updates.

During this meeting-turned lockdown, members were able to witness the inner proceedings of combatting a gun threat.

Karlitz believes that being a member has aided his ability for preparedness in the event of a school shooting, as SCC was invited to witness campus shooter training exercises.

The establishment of SCC will serve as a step towards improved student-police relations, as its members will be ambassadors — aware of what to do in a crisis as well as the genuine humanity police officers possess.