Mesa approves school resource officer agreement; staff hears calls to bar Brady-listed officers

The Mesa City Council on July 20 approved an intergovernmental agreement with Mesa Unified School District No. 4 to provide police officers as school resource officers (SROs), voting 5–0.

Jason Smithson told council that the Arizona School Safety Program under ARS 15‑154 is a competitive state grant and that funds do not come from classroom budgets. He urged the city to amend the proposed agreement to prohibit officers who are on the Brady list from serving as SROs, arguing credibility and trust in the program require that standard.

Commander Daravan described the SRO assignment process: officers apply for the specialty assignment, are screened and tested by school resource supervisors, and are subject to the department’s policies and disciplinary standards. He said the department removes officers from the SRO assignment when misconduct is identified. "If we locate or identify bad behavior, we immediately remove them from, and we have had a couple in the last few years where we removed them from that assignment," Commander Daravan said.

City staff and the city manager noted that amending the IGA to add personnel-specific language could entangle contractual and personnel processes and that the department can address assignment decisions administratively. The city manager said the city could amend an MOU or IGA later if both parties agree, and staff pledged to explore internal safeguards and follow up with the council and school district as needed.

Council member Duff moved and Council member Taylor seconded the motion to approve the IGA; the motion carried 5–0 with the mayor and Council member Go Forth absent. Staff said they will continue internal reviews and return with any recommended administrative safeguards regarding SRO assignments and Brady-listed officers.