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School board votes to put police officer on campus; WBPD, school: Move not a reaction to criminal activity
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · July 14, 2016


A West Branch Police officer would spend up to 12 hours a week in the city’s public schools under an agreement approved Monday by the West Branch Board of Education.


The West Branch City Council must still approve the intergovernmental agreement for the program, which will initially cost the two government agencies around $10,000 a year combined.

The officer, likely part-time Ofc. Cathy Steen, will carry a gun and wear a body camera, though the camera will be “used sparingly,” like should a disruption or a fight break out, WBPD Chief Mike Horihan said.

“I don’t want kids to think they’re being recorded in school,” he said.

Horihan said the SRO is “not a reaction to anything that happened in the past.”

“I wanted to get more officers in the school anyway,” he said, noting that his department recently expanded to four full-time officers, making this idea feasible.

Board member Jodi Yeggy said Monday that putting the SRO on campus is “not reactionary,” and “there is not a problem.”

“This will develop great relationships,” she said, adding that she feels the biggest aspect is to “create respect” for law enforcement.

Board President Mike Colbert called it “an extension of what (the WBPD has been) doing since Day 1.”

West Branch Education Association President Mary Buol attended the school board meeting and, when the school board approved the contract, left at the same time as the officers.

Later in the meeting, while reviewing administrative reports, board member Mike Owen suggested putting the SRO contract and the administration’s accompanying Q&A on the school’s web site.

Yeggy reiterated that the move is “just being proactive,” though she said there may be a “stigma” to placing police in the school buildings.

Steen said at the June 13 meeting the SRO program will strive to “bridge the gap between law enforcement … and young people.”

Work toward this goal started at least as far back as March, when Steen attended, with the support of Horihan and School Superintendent Kevin Hatfield, a training session hosted by the National Assoc. of School Resource Officers.

Horihan said the idea for bringing an SRO to the school campus came up during a later brainstorming session between he and Hatfield. The two discussed how the police department, which already comes in for things like anti-drug and stranger-danger talks, could further help the district.

“They had to reorganize staff, and this was a way to free teachers up,” Horihan said.

Owen asked in June if someone would conduct “outreach” to the community to explain, as some may react negatively, saying, “Oh, jeez, they’re putting police in schools now.”

Steen and Horihan said they would work on that.

Horihan said the SRO will wear a less formal uniform, like a polo shirt with khaki pants.

“It’s less of a military look,” Steen said. “It’s still identifiable, but not in an authoritative kind of way.”

Board member Keith Schultes said in June he liked the idea.

“I think it’s great,” he said, “not just for kids, but for the community.”

Under the agreement, the school and city will split the cost of the weekly visits. At 12 hours a week for 36 weeks at $22.32 per hour, the total comes to just over $9,600, so both will pay about $4,800.

The agreement also includes a clause that the school may assign the SRO to attend 10 to 15 extracurricular events up to two hours in length. In those cases, the school then picks up 100 percent of the cost for the SRO, adding roughly another $400 to $700 to the school’s portion.

Steen in June said the officer is not on campus to help with discipline.

“I am a guest in the school,” Steen said. “That’s all I am.”

Horihan said several times the “great working relationship” with the school district makes this SRO idea work.

“I’ve felt from the start that we’ve been a team,” he told the school board.

The police chief said troubled juveniles mostly see police officers when they get into trouble, so this will allow them a chance to see officers more informally.

“West Branch is the right size to care for students,” Horihan said. “Our goal is to be a team player, and (build) relationships.”

Steen brings classroom experience with 10 years teaching criminal justice at Kirkwood Community College; she holds a master’s degree in the subject. Also a mother of two, Steen said she will serve as a law enforcement officer, but also as a teacher/guest speaker and counselor/mentor.

She told the school board in June that her presence in the school is considered a “privilege” granted by the board and that she will operate under the guidance of school administrators.

With up to 12 hours per week, Horihan said he thinks Steen should spend most of the time in Hoover Elementary and West Branch Middle School. Steen said she will likely adjust those hours based on school activities and events.

Other goals include: Increase positive attitudes toward law enforcement; Teach the value of the legal system; Promote respect for people and property; Reduce juvenile crime by helping students formulate an awareness of rules, laws, authority and justice; and teach students how to reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim.

In a memo to the school board in preparation for the July meeting, Hatfield summed up the agreement and wrote that the SRO’s role “is to collaborate with district administration, staff, parents and students to assist the district’s efforts to provide safe and healthy learning environments for students, staff, faculty and guests.”

He adds the SRO “has many duties including providing input on district strategies and plans for dealing with dangerous situations (crisis management/threat assessment planning)” and “providing administrative support for cases requiring investigations beyond administrative function.”

Hatfield said the school will follow the family privacy rules outlined in the federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, which is why he liked how Steen referred to the SRO as a “guest.”

“To me, society’s becoming a little more complex,” he said.

Subjects the SRO may cover in the classroom: drug prevention, juvenile law, peer pressure, bullying, internet safety, bicycle/traffic safety, 911 usage, stranger danger, Halloween safety, gun safety, “and other topics requested by teachers,” Hatfield wrote.

Horihan noted in June that some school children and their families are clients of Families Inc., a counseling and mental health center in West Branch.

“They can’t tell us stuff, but we can share with them,” he said.

The police chief noted that, in the past, officers would try to attend home basketball games and might get called away after just a short stay. With the SRO, the WBPD can have two officers on duty, which would likely mean the SRO can remain at the school event.

Horihan said the department will review how the SRO program works and consider whether to increase or decrease the time spent on campus.

“If I felt there was more criminal activity, I’d ask for more than 12 hours,” he said. “It’s a little bit of an experiment.”