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Public Safety Committee approves SRO agreement with OTHS, adds second SRO through reallocation
Summary
The Public Safety Committee authorized the mayor to enter an agreement with OTHS to continue a school resource officer (SRO) arrangement and to reallocate an existing officer to create a second SRO position that will primarily serve the Millburn campus; the agreement is pay-as-you-go and the city emphasized the officer remains a city employee.
The Public Safety Committee approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter an intergovernmental agreement with OTHS for a school resource officer (SRO) and approved a staffing adjustment that reallocates an existing city patrol officer to SRO duties, creating a second SRO position that staff said will spend a significant portion of time at the Millburn campus.
The police chief explained the change as an internal reallocation rather than the hiring of an additional officer: “This is not an additional officer. This is just a reallocation of 1 of our 50 officers that we're allocated for,” the chief said. The chief said the department has asked the school district to add $10,000 a year to help cover costs related to the second SRO, and staff indicated that additional funds would be used toward purchasing a second SRO vehicle.
Under the existing practice described by staff, the school pays 75 percent of an officer’s base salary (step 2) for the SRO. Staff clarified that the downtown SRO model and other intergovernmental arrangements remain subject to operational needs and that, in exigent circumstances, an SRO can be reassigned to a city patrol call.
The committee took a roll call and recorded unanimous approval among members present. Council members on record in the committee included Blackburn, Mylar, Ford, Stoffel and Newcomb.
Next steps: The resolution will proceed to full City Council for final authorization as required; staff said vehicle procurement and budget adjustments for the new allocation will be handled through existing purchasing and budget processes.
