A Baltimore city school police officer faces several assault charges, as well as a theft charge, in connection with incidents at a Northeast Baltimore middle school, the Baltimore state's attorney's office announced Monday.
A grand jury indicted Lakisha Pulley Monday on first- and second-degree assault charges and three counts of reckless endangerment in connection with a physical altercation she allegedly had with three female students at Vanguard Collegiate Middle School in October of last year. The incident was caught on surveillance video.
Pulley was also indicted for felony theft, which officials said was related to a separate incident at the school in November. In a release, officials said Pulley was taking goods, intended for the school, to her personal vehicle.
Salary records indicate that Pulley was hired by the school system in February 2012.
The city school system declined to comment on the indictment. No attorney information was listed in online court records.
The city school police union said that Pulley looked forward to "having her day in court."
The charges come as the city school police lobby to change laws that restrict them from carrying their weapons during the school day – a practice The Baltimore Sun first revealed is common anyway.
The city has the only school district in the state with its own designated police force, but the only sworn officers who can't carry their weapons inside school buildings. They are allowed to be armed only while patrolling the exterior of school buildings and before and after school hours.
A bill introduced in the Maryland legislature that would lift the restriction is currently being debated.
Supporters say that arming officers would ensure that officers could respond to violent or dangerous situations in a timely manner and be held to the same standards as other law enforcement.
Opponents say armed officers would create a hostile learning environment, and have used allegations and criminal charges lodged against school police officers in the past to emphasize their points.
"This is a separate issue that is being addressed by the criminal courts," said Sgt. Clyde Boatwright, president of the school police union. "At this point, no one's being convicted of anything. We're confident that as all of the evidence comes out, people from the public will get a view of what happened than what was shown on a clip released to the media. Officer Pulley has her side too."
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