City Council Reviews Agreement for School Resource Officers
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jennifer [email protected]
Warsaw Police Chief Scott Whitaker presented the proposal during Monday’s meeting.
Warsaw currently provides two DARE officers for WCS and one resource officer at Warsaw Community High School.
Whitaker said WCS will determine where the resource officers will be placed, but WCHS and the grade schools are the focus.
Mayor Joe Thallemer said Warsaw School Board and Board of Works still need to approve the agreement.
The term of the agreement is for seven years beginning Aug. 1, and continuing until July 31. 2020.
The city will provide a total of four regularly employed police officers.
Two school resource officers will be qualified as DARE instructors. These officers will be provided by the city to the school at no expense to the school.
Two additional resource officers who are qualified DARE instructors also will be assigned and will be paid for by the school.
The city will pay for two of the officers, and Warsaw Community Schools will pay for the salaries and benefits of the other two officers.
Councilman Jeff Grose said he supported the resource officers.
“I would like to think this is something we want to do,” Grose said. “As a teacher and a parent, I think it’s good for children to see officers in the schools like this.”
He said the resource officers will be a positive thing.
Thallemer said the school has been supportive in sharing the costs of the resource officers with the city.
“It’s getting this to where it works for both entities,” Thallemer said.
An additional officer for crossing guard duties may be provided at the request of the school. The cost for providing that officer will be paid by the school and is not included in the agreement.
The school will be required to pay $169,903.50 for the first year from Aug. 1, to July 31. The school will pay that same amount the second year for Aug. 1, 2014, through July 31, 2015.
On or before Jan. 1, the chief of police will choose the resource officer to be assigned to all four positions.
Resource officers will be available for regular school duty on a full-time basis of eight hours on those days and during those hours when school is in session.
The SROs will be selected by the police chief and also will be qualified DARE instructors. When school is not in session the officers will be used for patrols and other official police duties for the city.
While on duty the officers will be required to speak to classes on the law including search and seizure, criminal and motor vehicle laws; act as a resource person in the area of law enforcement eduction; and conduct criminal investigations of violations of the law on school district property or property surrounding the school district property.
Other duties are to provide law enforcement input into the school-based security including reviewing fencing and security systems and make arrests and referrals of criminal law violators.[[In-content Ad]]
Warsaw Police Chief Scott Whitaker presented the proposal during Monday’s meeting.
Warsaw currently provides two DARE officers for WCS and one resource officer at Warsaw Community High School.
Whitaker said WCS will determine where the resource officers will be placed, but WCHS and the grade schools are the focus.
Mayor Joe Thallemer said Warsaw School Board and Board of Works still need to approve the agreement.
The term of the agreement is for seven years beginning Aug. 1, and continuing until July 31. 2020.
The city will provide a total of four regularly employed police officers.
Two school resource officers will be qualified as DARE instructors. These officers will be provided by the city to the school at no expense to the school.
Two additional resource officers who are qualified DARE instructors also will be assigned and will be paid for by the school.
The city will pay for two of the officers, and Warsaw Community Schools will pay for the salaries and benefits of the other two officers.
Councilman Jeff Grose said he supported the resource officers.
“I would like to think this is something we want to do,” Grose said. “As a teacher and a parent, I think it’s good for children to see officers in the schools like this.”
He said the resource officers will be a positive thing.
Thallemer said the school has been supportive in sharing the costs of the resource officers with the city.
“It’s getting this to where it works for both entities,” Thallemer said.
An additional officer for crossing guard duties may be provided at the request of the school. The cost for providing that officer will be paid by the school and is not included in the agreement.
The school will be required to pay $169,903.50 for the first year from Aug. 1, to July 31. The school will pay that same amount the second year for Aug. 1, 2014, through July 31, 2015.
On or before Jan. 1, the chief of police will choose the resource officer to be assigned to all four positions.
Resource officers will be available for regular school duty on a full-time basis of eight hours on those days and during those hours when school is in session.
The SROs will be selected by the police chief and also will be qualified DARE instructors. When school is not in session the officers will be used for patrols and other official police duties for the city.
While on duty the officers will be required to speak to classes on the law including search and seizure, criminal and motor vehicle laws; act as a resource person in the area of law enforcement eduction; and conduct criminal investigations of violations of the law on school district property or property surrounding the school district property.
Other duties are to provide law enforcement input into the school-based security including reviewing fencing and security systems and make arrests and referrals of criminal law violators.[[In-content Ad]]
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