For City Council Meeting [June 11, 2019]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Sean Grayson, Interim City Administrator
FROM: Mark P. Kling, Chief of Police
Title
Request City Council to Approve an Agreement between the Rialto Unified School District and the City of Rialto for three (3) School Resource Officers.
(ACTION)
Body
BACKGROUND:
The Rialto Police Department over the last several years has provided one (1) School Resource Officer (SRO), which is stationed within the Rialto Unified School District (RUSD). In January 2015, Council agreed to increase the SRO’s assigned to the School District by two (2) additional officers funded through the COPS hiring grant. One (1) additional officer would be funded through mutual partnership with the City and RUSD.
The COPS hiring grant has come to an end however the need remains to maintain three (3) SRO’s for law enforcement responsibilities arising on and in the vicinity of any school campus in the City’s jurisdiction. Based on this need, the three (3) officers will be funded through mutual partnership with the City and RUSD.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Currently, the Rialto Police Department is responsible for the safety and security of all residents, businesses, and citizenry within the confines of city boundaries. This includes all schools and their attendees. The calls for services to the police department from school related incidents, civil and criminal, necessitated the School Resource Officer Program. The SRO acts as a liaison between the school district and the police department and handles all calls related to alleviating the burden on daily patrol staff to respond to every incident occurring on school grounds. The agreement between the police department and the school district was never intended as a dollar for dollar match as there are too many variables involved to calculate an exact cost for related services the department would provide even without a SRO.
SRO’s engage in law enforcement duties arising on and in the vicinity of any school campus in the City’s jurisdiction or which fall within the course and scope of a police officer’s function as it relates to such schools. Some of these duties include: assisting school administrators and staff with discipline/criminal matters, conflict resolution, gang issues, attendance/truancy issues, safety procedures, trespassers, parent complaints, and issuing and signing citations.
This agreement assigns three (3) SROs for all High Schools and all Middle Schools, to be stationed at the RUSD Office, during the regular and summer school schedules, for the fiscal years of July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2021. RUSD agrees to pay the total amount of one officer’s salary in the sum of and not to exceed $155,000.00 for a total of three (3) SRO’s. The department’s intent in developing this agreement is to offset a portion of costs associated with providing officers on campuses.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
The request is not a “Project” as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Pursuant to Section 15378(a), a “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. According to Section 15378(b), a Project does not include: (5) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
The City of Rialto has outlined key goals and objectives relating to public safety.
Goal 5-8: Provide effective and comprehensive policing services that meet the safety needs of Rialto.
Policy 5-8.4: Initiate proactive crime suppression and prevention strategies throughout the community.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed and approved this staff report.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Operating Budget Impact
Revenues in the amount of $155,000 are included in the proposed Fiscal Year 2019/2020 budget in the General Fund Account Number 010-400-6288-7520. Rialto Unified School District will be invoiced $38,750 on a quarterly basis.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
This report does not impact the Capital Improvement Budget.
Licensing
This action does not trigger a requirement for a business license.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the mutual agreement between the Rialto Unified School District and the City of Rialto for three (3) School Resource Officers and authorize the Mayor to execute the agreement subject to such modifications as may deem advisable, without materially altering the financial obligations contained therein.