Resident urges City Council to assign full-time School Resource Officer at Lucille Umbarger Middle School

Jeremiah Burkins told the City Council on May 28 that Lucille Umbarger Middle School has experienced a series of assaults, threats and recurring behavioral incidents and asked the council to support assigning a full-time School Resource Officer (SRO) to the middle school.

Burkins said the incidents include assaults and threats among students and described ongoing behavioral problems that, in his view, require increased security resources. "We need to have somebody daily to ensure safety and to de-escalate situations," Burkins said during the public comment period.

The request was presented during the meeting's public comment section; no formal motion or council directive on the SRO request was recorded in the meeting minutes. The City Council did not discuss or vote on the matter during the May 28 meeting. The Police Department previously reported approval of the House Bill 2015 public safety tax verification application, which Chief Kevin Turner said will allow the City to apply for state public safety grant funding; Burkins' request could be considered by the Council or staff as part of future budget or grant discussions.

No formal response from school district staff or Council members was recorded in the minutes. The next steps, per the meeting record, would be for interested members of the public to follow up with City administration or the Police Department about resource requests or potential funding paths.