CLEARWATER, Fla. -- For months, counties and cities all across Florida have been trying to figure out how to provide armed security in schools, as is now required by a new state mandate. In some areas, that costs several million dollars. However, the Clearwater Police Department has figured out how to provide officers in schools while saving money.
- New state mandate requires armed security in schools
- Could cost several million in some areas
- Clearwater PD came up with plan to save money on SROs
The department has been providing school resource officers to two high schools and one middle school in the city.
Because of the new state mandate, they now have to add three more SROs: one at Clearwater Fundamental Middle School and one more each at Clearwater and Countryside High Schools, since they have more than 1500 students.
However, the cost of those six officers for the department is $6,000 less than just having the three before. The department is also receiving money from the school system to help cover SRO costs.
Part of that is due to a new partial year police officer position the department developed.
"They work essentially 48 weeks out of the year. They're not in the pension program, it's more for kind of a retiree scenario and so we're bringing in an officer with less costs related to benefits but still get somebody who is kind of passionate and energetic and interested in serving the schools," Chief Dan Slaughter explained.
Chief Slaughter said they also have had officers advancing in the department and younger officers on a lower pay scale taking over the SRO positions.
They also are not covering the elementary schools. The Pinellas County School Board decided for trained security guards to be placed in the elementary schools, not SROs.
"The data shows that a lot of your shootings and incidents are actually happening in the middle and high schools and the elementary schools not so much," Chief Slaughter said.
Chief Slaughter said that the $6,000 they saved will go back into their forfeiture fund.
He gives credit to his staff for helping craft this money saving plan.