Resource officers agree to clam up
Gwinnett resource officers promise not to talk

Nov. 27, 2004
The Atlanta Journal - Constitution

By D. AILEEN DODD

Atlanta, Nov. 27 -- Gwinnett County schools police officers have signed a statement acknowledging they face disciplinary action if they discuss school crime without permission.

The new communications policy was signed after two school police officers responded to questions about recent reports of alleged aggravated child molestation and terroristic threats against a teacher and a student.

All 18 school resource officers signed the statements of policy, which were dated Nov. 10. Copies of the signed statements were provided to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after a request was made for the documents under the Georgia Open Records Act.

"We have been working to institute my office as the public information office for the school police," said Gwinnett school spokeswoman Sloan Roach. "Chief [Wayne] Rikard wanted all of his officers to know the procedures they were to follow. . . . He felt the signed policy would clearly communicate his expectations to his staff."

Neither the Gwinnett County Police Department nor the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department requires officers to sign similar communication statements.

"My deputies are free to talk to the press," said Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway.

"We don't discourage officers from [talking]; that is not to say that officers who don't want to talk have to talk," said Gwinnett County police spokesman Cpl. Dan Huggins.

The Gwinnett school police department is a law enforcement agency that is part of Gwinnett County Schools. The school police chief and the operations of his department are monitored by school administrators.

Gwinnett school administrators, teachers and other staff members routinely seek clearance before they respond to media inquiries.

The document signed by the school police officers states: "No officer will talk to any and all media without the consent of the chief or the schools PIO, Sloan Roach. . . . Violation of this policy will result in disciplinary action. . . ."

Rikard did not return a phone message seeking comment.

An official at Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council said written communication policies that threaten police with disciplinary action for talking to the media are not widely used. It is more common for law enforcement agencies, especially larger departments, to have a verbal understanding that rank and file officers should not speak about their investigations. Discipline is not always doled out to those who break the rules.

"It is going to vary from department to department," said Ryan Powell, director of the training standards division. "Typically, agencies have a public information officer. It keeps misinformation or different stories from getting out."