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RSU 15 tracks a rise in athletic‑event police coverage and limited local options for penalties
Summary
Staff reported an uptick in police presence at some middle- and high‑school games; the district can request officers and seek no‑trespass orders, but law enforcement handles reporting and penalties. Board members said incidents remain relatively rare and asked about scale and costs.
School staff told the board that demand for law-enforcement coverage at athletic events has increased this year, particularly at some middle-school games. A staff presenter said there has been a “100% increase at the middle school,” while emphasizing the district does not itself issue criminal penalties or public incident reports; once law enforcement is engaged, the department handles any formal action.
The board asked about scale: in three years the presenter said the district has issued one no‑trespass order and that requests for law-enforcement removal at athletics are rare. Board members and staff discussed scheduling and pay: the SRO (school resource officer) gets first refusal for event shifts but is not a 24/7 presence, and the district sometimes hires county deputies for events. Administrators described the proposed middle‑school coverage ask as modest (a small number of event shifts, not continuous coverage) and said the expense per event is expected to be a few thousand dollars in total across events, not a standing full‑time assignment.
Board members agreed the intent is preventative — to have law enforcement available at specific events to deter problematic behavior — while noting the district’s authority is limited to requesting removal and pursuing no‑trespass orders; any arrests or citations are law‑enforcement actions and are recorded and reported by police.
