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Board approves SRO service agreement with City of Las Cruces; MOU adds substitute-officer, policy-review provisions
Summary
The board approved a memorandum of understanding with the City of Las Cruces on behalf of the Las Cruces Police Department that clarifies substitute SRO coverage, training and limits on SRO duties, and requires review of district policies (including restraint and seclusion) and a signed acknowledgment by assigned officers.
The Las Cruces Public Schools Board approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the City of Las Cruces on behalf of the Las Cruces Police Department governing school-resource-officer (SRO) duties, coverage and coordination. The board voted 4–0 to approve the agreement after district staff reviewed changes proposed by the city.
District presenters said the updated MOU includes several clarifications from the previous year’s agreement:
- Substitute coverage: the city added language that, when available, the department will assign another SRO or a qualified officer to substitute when an assigned SRO is absent.
- Training and role limits: the MOU clarifies that SROs will act within their training and experience and are not to be represented as subject-matter experts beyond their law-enforcement training (for example, in clinical or specialized intervention roles); it also notes exceptions related to substance-abuse education and intervention and how those services will be handled.
- Policy review and acknowledgments: assigned SROs will be provided the district’s relevant policies and procedures (including restraint and seclusion protocols) and the department’s policies; SROs will sign an acknowledgement showing they received and had an opportunity to review the district and department policies that apply to their campus duties.
- Incident reporting: the MOU states that crimes occurring on campus must be reported to the Las Cruces Police Department.
District and city staff described ongoing collaboration between SROs, school counselors and site-based health centers to ensure appropriate responses and referrals for students who need support beyond law-enforcement responses.
The motion to approve the MOU was moved by Secretary Wofford, seconded by Mr. Frank; the board voted unanimously (4–0). District staff said cost and funding arrangements remained unchanged from the prior agreement.
