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Wymore police committee discusses school resource officer and $15,000 hiring bonus for chief search
Summary
At an Oct. 22 Police Department Committee meeting, committee members heard a proposal to station a school resource/patrol officer in Wymore schools for 2–4 hours daily, and agreed to pursue a search for a police chief including exploring a $15,000 hiring bonus to present to council.
Chairman Neil Van Boening presided over a Police Department Committee meeting Oct. 22 where members discussed adding a school resource or patrol officer to Wymore schools and advanced steps in recruiting a city police chief.
Jeff Murphy, invited to the meeting to present the proposal, said the officer would be assigned through the Gage County sheriff’s office and be at the high school and elementary school roughly 2 to 4 hours each day. Murphy described the position as having an educator-style role to build relationships with students and help address truancy.
Committee member Krystal Rutti and others noted the pending opening of a New Hope Agency group home in the city as a factor increasing the perceived need for an on-campus officer to respond if issues arise. Committee members emphasized the relationship-building and truancy-prevention aspects of the proposal in addition to response capability.
On staffing, the committee agreed to continue the search for a city Chief of Police and to investigate hiring through a professional recruitment service. Members also directed that the committee bring a proposal to the full city council to add a $15,000 hiring bonus to the police chief job listing under specified conditions.
As next steps, Jeff Murphy will prepare a timeline for when the officer could work with both schools, and Krystal Rutti will contact the Gage County Sheriff’s Office to gather budget details for a resource officer. The committee adjourned at 8:06 p.m.
