An investigation by the Philadelphia Inquirer identified “more than a dozen school police officers who have been arrested on drug, assault, theft, and other charges in recent years – either before they were employed by the district or while they were on active duty.”
“In Philadelphia, officers undergo Federal Bureau of Investigation, child abuse, and state criminal background checks, said Andrew Rosen, of the district’s human resources office. But the district looks only at convictions when hiring – not arrests – and may still go ahead and employ the applicant if the crime isn’t cited as a disqualifier in the Pennsylvania School Code.”
