Milford officials propose armed school security officers at elementary schools, prompt board questions on use-of-force and vetting

Milford City's Board of Education presented a plan Feb. 19 to hire armed school security officers (SSOs) for each elementary school and the Academy, arguing the district needs an on-site, trained deterrent to respond faster to threats than external law enforcement can in many cases.

Doctor Putayo, the superintendent presenting the budget request, pointed to a string of local and national incidents'including social-media threats, increased "swatting" events and a recent school-perimeter intrusion at Orchard Hills'to argue the district must add another layer of security. Putayo said the proposed SSOs would be retired law-enforcement officers employed by the district, assigned to a single school, and trained to work with young children so the presence is "helpful, not to scare kids." "If there's someone planning a school shooting in Milford, do we want to be an example where we were able to stop it?"…