Marion Summers Direct Examination Questions

What is your name?

Marion Summers

Current occupation?

Captain in Danville County Police Force

How long have you been serving?

Since 2006, captain of Lincoln zone since 2014

Describe your background and qualifications

• Grew up in Danville

• Graduated Lincoln High School in 2002

• Graduated Colombia State University with degree in law enforcement

• Later got masters, wrote thesis about creating safe zones in schools

Experience around Lincoln High School?

• Pre 2014, regularly patrolled neighborhood

• 2010, recession caused loss of jobs, spike in violent crime

Specific duties as captain?

• Supervising the officers patrolling the area

• Developing strategies to reduce criminal activity

What strategies have you implemented?

• Community crime watch

• Recruited informants

• Conducted outreach programs for local teens

• Worked with schools to improve safety

Still not enough

Attempted to combat crime and drug usage within LHS?

• Wrote thesis about this exact issue

• Fall of 2019, plan to implement model safe school system at LHS was approved by police dept.

• Principal Sanders made implementation impossible

How was Sanders impossible to deal with?

Disorganized and irresponsible even though I met with her on several occasions.

What was LHS like under Sanders?

• Incompetent administration

• High drug usage

• 2020 we arrested 38 students for drug related cases, 30 of which were on school grounds

How is LHS since Taylor took over?

• Drug cases dropped dramatically, almost nonexistent

• I’ve visited at least 40 times, never seen any drug deals or other suspicious activity

Specific changes made under Taylor?

• School safety committee that addressed violent and drug related activity

• Harsh penalties for students caught using/selling drugs

• 2022, Taylor and I created police force crime prevention program

  • Once a month, officers give a presentation about crime prevention

Changes’ effects on academics at LHS?

2022, LHS became model school with 85% of senior class graduating.

Overall safety of LHS under Taylor?

• LHS one of the safest schools in the district

• No more constant threat of violence or drug use

• 8/10