Blue Earth County Sheriff weighs in on school resource officer controversy

Blue Earth County Sheriff Jeff Wersal took to social media yesterday to weigh in on the school resource officer controversy. 

Wersal says he suspended the SRO deputy in St. Clair and Lake Crystal schools in August after he learned about new state laws restricting physical holds. 

A provision in the education bill signed by Governor Tim Walz in May prohibits school-based officers from placing students in a prone position or in holds that put pressure on the head, neck, or torso.

Police departments around the state have pulled resource officers from schools seeking clarity in the law, while some state lawmakers are calling for a special session to address the issue.

Sheriff Wersal says the new law restricts officers from following their training and doing their jobs, and it places them at risk of losing their jobs or being sued.  He says the law was created by an “anti-law enforcement elected majority” in the metro to address an issue that doesn’t exist.