Council approves renewal of school resource officer agreement with Newport‑Mesa Unified School District

Costa Mesa city leaders on Tuesday approved a one‑year renewal of the School Resource Officer (SRO) memorandum of understanding that places Costa Mesa Police Department officers on campus at the district’s high schools and intermediate school.

The council voted 7-0 to approve staff’s recommendation after Costa Mesa Police and Newport‑Mesa Unified School District staff described operational details and recent additions to the agreement. The contract covers officers assigned to Back Bay, Estancia and Costa Mesa high schools and provides that SROs will respond to calls at other schools as needed.

Why it matters: Council members said the vote follows recent school safety incidents across the region and that maintaining SRO coverage at the district’s secondary schools is an immediate public safety priority. Council discussion focused on the program’s oversight and transparency: council members asked for quarterly or annual reports that summarize SRO activity, including counseling sessions, parent conferences and arrests, and for clarification about data sharing and privacy safeguards.

Key changes and clarifications: Captain Scott Stafford and City staff said the revised agreement now adds explicit language on remote access to the school’s student database where appropriate and a clarification on recording investigations involving juveniles. Staff also said they adopted language similar to a Newport Beach agreement that addresses access to school camera systems, confidentiality and documentation of SRO interactions. The city and district share the cost of assigned SROs on a 50/50 basis.

Public safety context: Council members and trustees—through staff comments—outlined existing coordination with private schools and neighboring police departments where students attend cross‑jurisdictional campuses. Council member Manuel Chavez asked about annual reporting; police said SRO activity is tracked monthly and can be assembled into a council report going forward.

Vote and next steps: The council approved the contract renewal 7-0. Council directed staff to incorporate the small language changes that were negotiated with the district, provide the SRO activity reports requested by council, and continue coordination with the district on training and vulnerability assessments.