Colorado sheriff proposes placing armed marshals in schools

A northern Colorado sheriff is proposing a program that places an armed marshal in each public school in the county.

The Steamboat Pilot and Today reports Routt County Sheriff Garrett Wiggins is planning meetings with school district officials to open discussions on a program that would place a marshal in each of the county’s 11 school buildings.

The sheriff estimates that his marshal program would cost about $1.26 million each year.

Wiggins says the school marshals would dress in plain clothes. They would work for the sheriff’s office or other local law enforcement agencies.

Wiggins says the marshals would focus only on campus safety and security. He says he wants to bring the issue before local taxpayers, so they have a voice in finding a solution for school security.