Laid-off school resource officers set for return

By Staff
Monday, October 1, 2012

Due to some creative funding and a state community policing grant, three of the school resource officers laid off because of budget cuts in 2010 are set to return to District 51 schools.

Sheriff Stan Hilkey appeared before Mesa County commissioners today to get their final approval for the Community Oriented Policing Services program, which funds the re-hiring of three school-based law enforcement officers for three years. The grant requires that at least part of the money be matched, so the county’s Department of Human Services will be chipping in funds as well, from a related assistance funding program.

The grant requires a commitment to keeping the officers for a fourth year, which the county will have to fund out of its general fund. County commissioners approved the program on Monday.

Revenue declines in 2010 led to the laying off of three officers at Grand Mesa, Mount Garfield and Redlands middle schools. All of the elementary schools that feed those middle schools also lost direct service of the officers at the time. Today, one officer is assigned to all of these schools, plus Central High School.

Read the full story in Tuesday’s edition of the Daily Sentinel.