Full Notification

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE

February 27, 2018

Dear National City Community,

RE: School Safety in National City

As our hearts go out to those affected by the recent school tragedy that occurred in Florida, many of you have expressed concern regarding the safety of our children in National City. As your Police Chief, let me reassure you that I, our Command Staff, police officers, professional staff, and city leaders continue to make the safety of our children a top priority. This means we work closely with our schools to ensure any violent threat is evaluated and appropriate action is taken.

We continue to work with our schools in close partnership and our police officers and department members work every day to keep you and your children safe to help prevent a tragedy such as the one in Florida from happening here. It is important to remember that we are a unique and caring community; we work closely together and watch out for each other.

I am asking for your help in keeping our children safe. While the vast majority of threats are issues of miscommunication or kids misbehaving (but not intending any physical harm), there is a chance of someone wanting to retaliate for a variety of reasons including perceived injustices or bullying. As a parent and guardian it is important to become a partner in your child’s education now. Listen to what they have to say, remind them of the consequences of threatening people, review their social media and get help if you see anything out of the ordinary. With your help and partnership we can keep our children safe. So please, if you see something call us (619-336.4411) or your child’s school, if you think there’s something unusual occurring please let us know. If there is an immediate threat or crime please call 911.

To truly enhance the safety of our country and our community, I encourage you to become more involved in societal issues that strengthen mental health treatment, help fragmented families, enhance school safety, and evaluate gun laws. As your Police Department we will continue to evaluate our operations, resources, and partnerships to ensure we are providing the highest level of safety in our community.

We will continue to collaborate and partner with the National School District and Sweetwater School District to keep our children safe and continue to make National City a safer community.
Thank you for your support,

Manuel Rodriguez
Chief of Police