Those on the other side of the debate view the Douglass shooting as further proof that officers must have their guns to keep students and staff safe from an outside threat. School police recovered seven guns during the first six months of this school year, according to the union. The Baltimore school police force is highly trained, they argue, and should be allowed to carry weapons just as their counterparts in suburban districts do. Chief Akil Hamm said his force has reduced the number of school-based arrests dramatically and gone three years without an excessive force complaint.