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Resident urges Garland to require school district to cover full SRO costs, cites missing MOU
Summary
Bob Duckworth told the Administrative Services Committee he believes the School Resource Officer program has been mismanaged and that the promised updated Memorandum of Understanding has not been presented to council; he urged staff to provide the MOU and consider audit follow-up.
Bob Duckworth addressed the committee during public comment on Aug. 28, urging clearer accounting and council review of the School Resource Officer (SRO) program and saying an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) promised after a 2021 audit has not been delivered to council for review.
“I see this matter similar to the Spring Creek debacle,” Duckworth said, describing what he called decades of mishandling and describing the lack of a current MOU. He told the committee the SRO budget is significant and argued the school district should bear the full cost rather than city taxpayers: “The SRO budget should be presented by the Department of the PD,” Duckworth said.
Duckworth asked the committee to review the 2021 audit, the old MOU, and the chief’s prior commitment to bring an updated MOU to council for possible changes during the budget process. He said the district’s share of the program could relieve pressure on the city budget; in the hearing he referenced an amount approximated in the transcript as about $6–7 million as the program’s cost scope.
Chair Chris Beard thanked Duckworth and noted staff would consider his request. No formal action or vote on the SRO program occurred at the meeting; the comments were taken as public input for staff and council consideration.
