Police to maintain increased presence at Redondo Union next week

Police will maintain an increased presence with uniformed officers on Redondo Union High School’s campus when students return next week from winter break following the discovery of two students allegedly carrying loaded weapons on the campus on back-to-back days in December, the Redondo Beach Police Department and the city’s school district announced Wednesday.

In a joint statement, police and the Redondo Beach Unified School District said that additional safety measures, including the use of “specialized detection canines,” will be used to “ensure the safety and security of students and staff.”

“Importantly, based on the thorough investigation, there is no evidence of planned violence on the school grounds or towards any specific students or family members,” police and the district said in the joint statement.

Two 10th-grade students — both 15 at the time — were detained Dec. 4 and Dec. 5, respectively, on suspicion of juvenile in possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm on school grounds, possession of a high- capacity magazine, carrying a loaded firearm in public, and possession of an unregistered loaded firearm, authorities said.

Neither student was identified due to their ages, and it was unclear how either teen had obtained a weapon.

The high school was closed Dec. 6, allowing police to conduct a more thorough sweep of the campus.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said earlier this month that “charges were filed,” but added that “it is not permissible to state what charges were filed or to release information that might lead to identification of a minor.”

In a message to the community, Redondo Beach Unified School District Superintendent Nicole Wesley wrote that there will be four entry points to the campus and that the metal detectors that were used after the two teens were detained were a “short-term response to give the district time to learn more about whether or not there was a threat to RUHS through the RBPD investigation” and that they have since been removed.

She noted that each campus entry and exit point will have presence of Redondo Beach police officers in the mornings through Jan. 12, and that a search dog may be at random times and gates.

The district is also working with the police department to set up several random campus searches throughout the end of the school year involving K-9 search dogs of lockers, backpacks and classrooms on dates that will not be disclosed in advance.

The superintendent added that the police department’s school resource officers will continue to come to the high school on a daily basis and that there will be a private third-party security firm on campus through Jan. 19. The hours of several part-time campus supervisors will be increased to allow a heightened presence, she said.

“We are thankful for our strong partnership with the Redondo Beach Police Department (RBPD). We are thankful to learn RBPD’s investigation has not found any information of a plot of violence or planned acts of violence on any individual or against the school. While this news is reassuring, we also know that we must remain vigilant,” the superintendent wrote in her message.

She said she wanted to “remind students and adults to say something if they see or hear anything that is concerning.”

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