Pueblo police Chief Luis Velez says police have been taking more responsibility for problem students and they want school authorities to take a bigger role.
According to the Pueblo Chieftain (http://tinyurl.com/9bml34f ), more than 1,000 students a year were getting tickets.
The biggest drop in citations last year was at the elementary school level with a 52 percent reduction.
The high schools reported a 31 percent drop and the middle schools had 20 percent drop.
There was no breakdown on the types of citations issued. Police and school officials are worried because a conviction creates a criminal record for students that stay with them forever.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)