School Safety Union’s President Calls for Random Weapons Checks and Metal Detectors after Shooting

By Yehudit Garmaise

The president of the city’s school safety union safe is asking for police officers to randomly check students, even those in elementary schools, for weapons, after three students were shot on April 27 outside their high school in Queens: an area that many consider to be one of the city’s safest.

A group of students, many who attend Francis Lewis High School, were walking home on 188th Street when the suspects, who were in a silver sedan began shouting at the 14- and 18-year-olds walking home from school, police say, before a man got out of the car and opened fire on the students, injuring three of them, CBS New York reported.

A 14-year-old Asian girl who was shot in the neck, has a bullet lodged in her spine, and still hasn't regained consciousness.

"We should have at least 10 schools a day randomly checked for weapons. And if you find weapons you go back,” said Greg Floyd, the president of Teamsters Local 237, which represents NYC’s school safety agents, who added that police officers need to “go back each and every week” until they find absolutely no weapons and then return for “spot checks every three months."

Floyd also wants metal detectors installed in all of New York 1,700 schools: only 89 of which have permanent metal detectors installed now, he said.

After last Wednesday’s shooting, students at Francis Lewis High School had to wait in long lines and take directions from school safety agents, who searched students and found a shocking number of weapons.

"The weapons count went to more than 20, and they're still counting,” said Floyd, who added that no guns were yet found. “I know they have a stun gun and pepper spray from one student, have a lot of knives. 

"This is troubling that children feel that they have to protect themselves because the adults are not protecting them.”

"New Yorkers have a right to be angry, a right to expect more, to feel safe, to be safe, and to know that your city is looking out for you," Mayor Eric Adams said about the 441 New Yorkers who this year have been shot citywide: number that is up 8.6% compared to this time last year and increased 85.3% compared to two years ago.