How much does a full-time school cop cost?

By Oliver Lazenby

With the school resource officer at the Blaine school district’s Blaine campus going from a part to a full-time position in January, the district and the city of Blaine worked out much of the details for the role this month.

The Blaine police department is allocating an officer for which the school district will pay 75 percent of the cost. Both parties will supervise and coordinate the position, but the officer will remain in the police department’s chain of command, according to a memorandum of understanding the Blaine school board approved on November 26.

The school district and police department aim to keep the officer on campus as much as possible. The officer will rotate randomly through all schools on campus.

Police chief Allen Schubert and school district superintendent Ron Spanjer said at an October school board meeting that the position’s goal is not just to provide emergency support but also to build relationships with students. The officer will teach students about community policing, mentorship and other ancillary roles of a police officer, according to the memo.

The school district and police department will determine the officer’s hours beforehand each month. They will mostly coincide with school hours but allow flexibility for the officer to work during some after-school events.

The school district will provide the officer with an office with access to a computer, telephone, locking storage and a locking gun safe.

The city estimates the position, including salary, benefits, uniform, equipment, training, communications equipment, and vehicle fuel and maintenance, will cost $89,211 a year. The school district will pay its 75 percent share to the city in monthly installments.

The school district also agreed to pay 75 percent of the cost to purchase a police vehicle. A refurbished police vehicle costs between $30,000 and $40,000, city finance director Jeffrey Lazenby said in May 2018, after the city council approved purchasing five refurbished vehicles.

The full memorandum of understanding between the city and school district, including a full list of the school officer’s duties, is available online at bit.ly/2r9NG4k.