By Mindy Ragan Wood
Staff Writer
The school resource officer program may be replaced by security guards, city and school officials said.
Piedmont Police Chief Scott Singer addressed the city council after Councilman John Brown brought up the possibility of hiring additional school resource officers (SRO).
“I think for us to fund an additional resource officer would be very difficult,” Singer told Brown.
The discussion comes after a conversation between Singer and Superintendent James White about the inter-local agreement costs to the department and the school district.
According to the contract with the schools, the cost of the SRO salary and some other expenses are to be shared 50/50. The contract includes splitting costs such as uniforms or gasoline for the patrol car.
City Manager Jason Orr said the district has been paying $18,000 or about a third of their share. Singer said the cost of the program will have to increase even more with the district paying 75 percent.
“They’re only paying approximately a third,” Singer said in an interview with the Piedmont-Surrey Gazette. “The language of the memorandum of understanding (contract) is such that it allows us to give notice that we intend to change the financing or the status of the officer. We decided that was a fair deal…the school has the officer for three-fourths of the year and therefore (the district) pays 75 percent of the benefits.”
During the March 12 Piedmont Board of Education meeting, White proposed the option of hiring security guards through Omega Security Specialists. Board members were hesitant regarding the effectiveness of a security officer’s experience compared to a police officer’s training and background. The board did not vote on the agenda item but tabled the matter for future discussion.
Losing a school resource officer would be a benefit for Singer and his thinly-stretched department.
“It would be an advantage for me to have my officer back on the streets because we’re spending a great deal of money in overtime keeping slots filled,” he told Brown during the council meeting.
During the school board meeting White brought up a point that hiring security guards would “give us a lot more control over what they do,” he said. Security officers could direct parking lot safety, help with traffic, in addition to security duties such as watching a door or escorting someone off the property.
Depending on the agreement between the school and a security company’s policies, the district might be able to decide if a security officer reports an incident to police. Singer said police officers are duty bound to report crimes, but depending on the security firm’s policies, their personnel may not be required to make a report or even call for police officer assistance.
“Their primary function would be to see the policies and rules of the schools are carried out where ours would be to see that the laws and state statutes in Oklahoma, the U.S. and Piedmont are carried through. They could take action, but they would be acting as an agent for the school and as a private person,” Singer said. “Certainly I would hope that the majority, that all security officers employed in a private status with the school systems, that they all are prepared to do what is necessary to protect the inhabitants of the school and then to report in a timely manner to law enforcement any criminal activity they’re familiar with or if they have an intelligence they would pass it on the police.”
White commented during the school board meeting that armed security professionals with OMEGA are retired police officers. His interest in hiring the security officers could cost the district less money. White reported the estimated cost to the school for the resource officer is $20,746 but with an increase next year of $14,000 that brings the cost to more than $34,000.
He touted the price of an armed security guard as $20 an hour. For a security guard to work 40 hours a week, 38 weeks out of the school year the pay would be $30,400. It was not determined during the meeting how many security officers the school could afford to hire, but White noted that any guard would have access to all schools inside and outside city limits.
One security guard would not solve the crisis of time in an active shooter situation. Statistically school shootings last five minutes with significant injury and loss of life inflicted within the first two minutes. Singer said one officer covering five schools is not the best option because the officer cannot reach the shooter in time unless he or she is at the school where the shooting is occurring.
“It’s not sufficient coverage to ensure at least a rapid response to an active shooter. Five minutes is a lot of time. It is a grave concern. The need for the officer to be able to act immediately on the grounds with gunshots is going to be the deciding or determining factor that a shooter is successful in harming or killing a number of students. The officer has to be able to respond immediately and rapidly. If they’re five minutes away, obviously common sense will tell you that presents a very dangerous situation.”
The school resource officer is limited to five schools inside city limits to which the officer travels periodically throughout the day as needed. Two schools are outside city limits but that does not mean Piedmont police officers cannot respond to a serious threat.
“Oklahoma City and Canadian county has a couple of deputies acting as SROs in Piedmont schools situated in the county. If it was an active shooter, then we would respond based on our cross commissions with Canadian County (Sherriff’s Office). We have reasonable concurrent jurisdiction in certain circumstances where we may respond,” Singer said.
