It seems to me that posting highly-trained police officers at Baltimore County's Chesapeake High School and other county middle and high schools is either a colossal waste of guns and badges, or, if truly necessary, a sure sign that we ought to give up ("How much force is too much?" Dec. 16).

After all, if someone is caught chewing gum in class, we could just dispatch a SWAT team. Then those school cops could be deployed to fighting real crime — like nabbing drivers using their cell phones.

Dave Reich, Perry Hall