Monrovia Police Step Up School Patrols in Wake of Connecticut Shooting

Monrovia Police officers have stepped up patrols of local schools following the deadly shooting in a Connecticut elementary school last week, Monrovia Police Chief Jim Hunt told the City Council Tuesday.

Addressing the council during its regular meeting, Hunt said officers have begun visiting schools multiple times daily in addition to other safety measures the department already employs.

"We've had extra patrols at all of our schools over the weekend and we've implemented a process where our officers in each beat will visit the schools regularly, get out and go onto the campus several times a day just so no one knows when an officer's going to be there," Hunt said. "And they're showing an additional presence to provide some additional security at the schools."

The Monrovia Unified School District and Monrovia Police teamed up prior to the Connecticut shootings to prepare "crisis response boxes" for each school in the district. The boxes contain logistical information like maps to help officers plan a crisis response should a major incident arise, Hunt said.

Hunt said the department also trains on an annual basis to respond to violent incidents at schools.