New London schools pursue adding resource officer

MT. PLEASANT — Thursday morning, Henry County Sheriff Rich McNamee and New London Superintendent Chad Wahls approached the Henry County Board of Supervisors about adding a school resource officer (SRO) to the New London School District for the 2023-2024 school year.

“Probably three months ago the New London school district started exploring the concepts of having a school resource officer,” McNamee explained. “In a nutshell, New London is wanting to proceed this school year with a part time resource officer.”

According to McNamee, the school district initially reached out to the New London Police Department, however, their department cannot support this role.

“We (NL CSD and Sheriff Dept.) would select one person to do that,” McNamee explained. “I've already mentioned the deputies. We had a staff meeting Tuesday Had a preliminary talk with them. And there's some interest from a few deputies that would be interested in that position.”

According to McNamee, through conversations with New London’s school board, the initial position would be for an SRO to spend approximately 20 hours a week in the schools, and what those hours look like would be flexible.

“We had basically said half time. So, 20 hours,” Wahls said. “That doesn't mean it has to be 20 hours every week. Maybe. With Rich [McNamee]’s scheduling it's 15 hours one week, 23 another week.”

“ … Our conversation was very flexible,” McNamee explained. “So, if we have Old Threshers … the school hours would be low, but if we have some other event around the county or a series of serious crimes around the county, we focus on those, and maybe the school would be a little low those few weeks.”

As the two discussed the option with the Board of Supervisors, much of the conversation centered on financials.

Wahls explained that through conversations with the New London school board and McNamee, they anticipated some of the financial aspects of this part-time position for the upcoming school year.

“So, part time was a good way for both of us to be able to accommodate new things, and then learn so then we're not just throwing money away,” he said. “That’s the one thing that we sort of talked about, too, is a little bit of the funding stuff. What we came up with the other night is whatever hours [the SRO] would serve at our school, they'd clock, and we'd pay that per diem rate of whatever they're getting paid so there's no money out of anybody's hand.”

“For me, I agree with you, the first year is kind of a wash for both, because we have the staffing to do it,” McNamee added. “It will take some strategic scheduling, but we have the staffing to do it on a part-time basis and anything we spend as far as wage to put someone in the school will be reimbursed by the school district for that. So it's a wash.”

According to Wahls, the school board anticipates paying for a large portion of this new position with shared dollars from the Department of Education, though that money runs a year behind.

“So, it's money out of our pocket year one, but then year two, let's say if we were to stay part time, it would probably be almost a wash,” Wahls said. “But if not, if we’re at full time and we're just paying the other half.”

While McNamee stated that he felt the arrangement would not create a financial burden that would require a budget change and therefore approval from the Board of Supervisors, he wanted to bring the topic to the board in anticipation of the future.

“Our board has made the motion to approve this position part-time this year, full-time next year and every year moving forward,” Wahls explained.

“ … If we move into a full-time status in a year, essentially then I would have to add a deputy,” McNamee said. “But that opens a lot of opportunities with Cops Grant as Chad [Wahls] mentioned. There are some school resource officer grants for funding for that as well.”

Members of the board expressed their concern about the financial impacts of adding officers and the implications of other schools possible wanting to add SROs in the future as well.

“So, then my other dilemma is, what does WACO do? What does Winfield do when they come to us in the future what are we going to do?” Supervisors Marc Lindeen asked. “Then if we’d have to hire another officer, we’d have that full cost for an officer. You'd want another car, you'd want a uniform, everything.”

“It's just not looking at the reimbursement at the 20 hours, and I do have a problem with that,” he continued. “Upfront it looks pretty simple, but there's more to it than that as it grows.”

According to McNamee, the Sheriff’s Department, New London Community School District, and their lawyers would hash out many of those additional expenses in a 28E Agreement.

County Auditor Shelly Barber added that creating an equation for that kind of compensation wouldn’t be very difficult.

“ … Mediapolis, this year, was reimbursed in the county 67,000 and some odd dollars, and next year it went up to $69,000,” Wahls said.

Wahls explained that Mediapolis likely took the complete package for hiring an officer and considered the number of days served in the school district then adjusted the total package according to a percentage.

“I know Des Moines County, their equation is very complex,” McNamee said. “it includes the hourly rate, uniforms, training, FICA, IPERS, all of that.”

As far as other school districts inquiring about adding SROs with the support of the Henry County Sheriff’s Department, Wahls says he spoke directly with Winfield and WACOs superintendents as he gathered information.

According to Wahls, the superintendent for Winfield, which shares with Columbus Junction, stated that they have a SRO in Columbus Junction schools, but there is not a definitive answer whether he will find value in adding one to Winfield’s.

“WACO, and I’m not trying to be rude, but it was a quick hard no,” Wahls said. “They’re not interested.”

Wahls shared that he understood WACO’s stance about not wanting to have an SRO because he wasn’t a “big fan” of the idea either.

“My personal life, I don't come to work ever thinking I'm going to get hurt or killed or anything,” Wahls said. “I'm not going to live like that. That's just me, but there are people that do.”

“There are families and kids that worry when they see something on the news or media, and they fear that that's going to happen in New London sometime,” he continued. “I can't control it. And that doesn't mean that an SRO solves that. You can’t be in every place at the same time. It does provide comfort in the parents’ minds and eyes that they’re sending their baby to school and there is someone there in case something happens that they’re going to get the right direction.”

Some of McNamee’s considerations for pursuing this partnership come from research and conversations he sought out with the other law enforcement departments participating in similar partnerships, including Mt. Pleasant’s.

Following winter break of the 2022-2023 school year, Mt. Pleasant Community School District entered into a similar 28E Agreement with the Mt. Pleasant Police Department to add a SRO position in the schools.

According to McNamee, since adding an SRO to Mt. Pleasant CSD, “ … district wide, the number of calls and the caliber of calls that they were taking as a response police officer compared to a school resource officer have dwindled. I don’t have the exact figures, but their call volumes dropped drastically. Just because he's present kids are less likely to fight if there's an officer down the hall kind of thing.”

“I know, talking to Sheriff Richmond over in Jefferson County, having Angie in the Pekin school district has done the same,” McNamee added. “Whether it's drugs in the parking lot, fights in the gym, bullying in this hallway, or whatever, it has directly affected their volume of calls to the school. So, I think that's something important to consider as well.”

For McNamee, law enforcement isn’t “based on the premise of responding when there's a problem, it's to try and deter the problem.”

“I think that's been my perspective my entire career,” McNamee said. “I think we need to be proactive on this. Especially when it's not changing anything financially, at least in this first year.”

While many details will still need worked out between the district, the sheriff’s department, and the county, consideration for a 28E Agreement with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office for a school resource officer is currently an agenda item for New London CSD’s school board meeting Monday, July 17 at 6 p.m.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com