Police hold community workshops after trouble at Santa Rosa schools

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Police are conducting a community education program after a number of Santa Rosa schools faced a bevy of challenges in the last month, including fatal drug overdoses, a stabbing, school closures and a student who was arrested for allegedly carrying a loaded gun and knife onto campus. 

The Santa Rosa Police Department said the recent troubling events sparked concerns of potential rising violent gang activity in area schools. The department is now stepping in with a series of seven educational presentations – to be shared with the community over the next three weeks – in order to ensure matters do not get any worse.

During these presentations, SRPD officers will engage with students, parents and teachers at various Santa Rosa schools to convey the dangers of drug use, overdoses and gang activity.

The department said that a proactive approach to the problems Santa Rosa schools are facing will foster much-needed dialogue that will equip students with the knowledge needed to make safe decisions. 

"It's really important that we educate not only the students, but the parents, community members and school staff so they can be aware of the signs of drug use or gang participation, and intervene and seek the resources that we offer," said SRPD Sgt. Patricia Seffens.

Santa Rosa City Councilmember Natalie Rogers, who is participating in the SRPD's education program, said it is imperative to conduct these outreach efforts to ensure the safety of the community.

"The recent fentanyl-related deaths in our community hit me like a gut punch," Rogers said. "That could have been any of our children, our friends, our loved ones. At first, I felt heartbreak. Then, I knew I had to act. These two young lives lost were not the first—but let’s do everything we can to make them the last."