HUNTINGTON BEACH : School Trespassers Targets of New Law
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Police and school officials will have more power to crack down on school trespassers because of an ordinance passed this week by the City Council.
The new ordinance, which takes effect next month, spells out trespassing as an unauthorized campus visit. It gives police authority to make arrests or issue citations on the spot, if conditions warrant.
Under current state law, school authorities are required to issue warnings to people on school grounds without permission. Under state law, a person isn’t considered a trespasser unless he or she returns to campus less than 72 hours after receiving a warning, Deputy City Atty. William B. Sage said.
Current regulations dealing with people on school campuses without permission are cumbersome and ineffective, Sage said.
Huntington Beach Union High School District Supt. David Hagen said the new ordinance will help create a safe environment by giving school officials and police more weapons against trespassing.
Edison High School Principal Brian Garland, whose school was hit by violence earlier in the year when an outsider knifed and seriously injured an Edison student, also endorsed the new ordinance.
“Most of our problems are caused by intruders,” he said. “This will give us a little more muscle.”
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