Senator Mark Johnson (R- East Grand Forks) released the following statement after Law Enforcement leaders continued their calls for clarity on SRO laws: 

“The updated guidance from the prosecutor for Minnesota’s largest county makes it clear we need legislation to fix conflicting laws for school resource officers. Legal opinions are not enough to reinstate School Resource Officers and keep schools safe. Senate Republicans are ready to pass a bipartisan solution and a special session is the fastest and best way to get it done.” 

Despite an updated opinion from Attorney General Keith Ellison last week, SROs have been slow to return. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty further muddied the waters with her own letter on the issue this week. Jeff Potts, Executive Director of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, told the Star Tribune the Moriarty letter, “puts us back to where we were roughly two weeks ago.”