Cd'A approves funding for school resource officer

COEUR d’ALENE — A two-year contract between the Coeur d’Alene School District and the city of Coeur d’Alene received the City Council’s final approval Tuesday and will provide what Capt. Dave Hagar described as a much-needed service: another school resource officer.

“It’s going to increase the safety of our students, it’s going to increase the speed at which we can respond to events, and it allows that personal one-on-one time with the officer, the faculty and the students,” Hagar said.

The results of the recent voter-approved school district levy enabled this opportunity, providing enough funds to dedicate an eighth officer to the schools. The school district reimburses the city $56,342 for each of the seven officers now assigned to its schools. The city’s cost will be roughly $40,679 to make up the $96,921 price to bring on an entry level officer with an average benefit package.

In addition, Hagar informed the council the school district will also pay $20,000 per year toward equipping the new SRO with a patrol car.

The new SRO will work primarily in the district’s elementary schools. Coeur d’Alene currently dedicates only one officer to elementary schools. Two SROs will soon divide their duties along the fault line of Interstate 90.

The SROs do more than policing and enforcement, Hagar said. They connect with the students.

“There’s a lot of things we pre-empt because the officers know what’s going on in the students’ lives. Last year, we had 400 students who were either homeless or precariously housed in the school district,” he said.

The elementary SROs have the ability to identify those students, Hagar said, and help get them the resources they need.

“This is a great partnership with the city and the school district,” Mayor Steve Widmyer said. “I want to thank the school district for adding another SRO. Safety is very important, and I think they recognize that.”