Councilors press for data, training details on school resource officer contract renewal

Councilors and staff discussed the School Resource Officer (SRO) program during a council meeting, with several councilors pressing for data on disciplinary actions, a racial breakdown of punitive incidents and details about training before the council votes on a contract renewal.

The discussion focused on training and oversight. A staff member said the city provides “various SRO trainings throughout the year,” and added that new SROs receive training "related to that policy" and that the city and individual schools try "to meet those needs as well to make sure that they are trained, formed, and culturally sensitive in various topics." Councilor Kennedy asked specifically, “And is there, some work around culturally responsive training for anyone serving in this role?” and said she would like community and family feedback on how the SRO program is perceived.

Councilors also asked for disciplinary data. Councilor Tamanek (identified in the transcript as raising follow-up questions) recalled earlier community “table conversations” and asked how recommendations from those sessions were reflected in the current contract draft. She then asked whether punitive actions by SROs are recorded and requested counts for the previous three-year contract period “and if there’s a racial breakdown of that.” A staff speaker said Lieutenant Ken Zwock and Sergeant Jambore oversee SRO programming and that the city has access to that data and "can break that down." The staff member said they would try to obtain that information and also check with budget manager Carrie Cronin about whether the topic came up during contract negotiations with Independent School District 709.

On cost, Councilor Dirwachter asked whether the roughly $1 million program budget is comparable to prior years. A staff member replied that the figure is reimbursing the portion of SRO salary for the time they are in school buildings and that the increase was due to higher wages.

Councilors pressed for timing. Councilor Dirwachter asked whether the requested data could be available by Monday, noting the council is scheduled to vote then. A staff speaker said they would try to produce the data "even tomorrow or first thing Monday morning," and several councilors reiterated they wanted the disciplinary data and community feedback before the Monday vote.

No formal motion or vote on the SRO contract is recorded in the transcript excerpt. Councilors repeatedly distinguished between discussion and formal action and asked staff to return with the requested information ahead of the next council meeting.

The council's remarks combined concerns from community members who said some youth — particularly youth of color — reported feeling uncomfortable with “a presence of police with guns in their schools,” and testimony from families who said they appreciate SROs. Several councilors framed the requested follow-up as an attempt to balance safety, student comfort and transparency about the program’s effects.

Councilors also asked that any available records include context staff can provide, such as whether punitive incidents were school-initiated actions versus law-enforcement actions. The staff speaker indicated the city could supply data but did not provide figures in the meeting.

Councilors said they welcome community feedback and surveys of families and students to gauge effectiveness. The council slated a decision for its next meeting but sought the additional data and community input before taking formal action.