Safety Resource Officers now at four MSBSD schools

MAT-SU — Colony High School and Colony Middle School will be the newest recipients of Safety Resource Officers on site. With that addition, all four major high schools in the Mat-Su Valley will have an active duty police officer on site. In 2018, Houston Jr. Sr. High and Palmer High School both were staffed with police officers on site during the 2018-2019 school year. Wasilla has had a dedicated safety resource officer for over a decade.

“I think it’s a good program and hopefully we can keep expanding it. Hopefully we get out to Redington too,” said Wasilla Mayor Bert Cottle.

Wasilla City Council led the charge with the passage of Ordinance 18-027 in September of 2018. The ordinance funded one quarter of the cost of an additional officer that would be stationed at Houston Jr. Sr. High School last school year and Colony High and Middle Schools starting next week. With the Mat-Su Borough School District picking up 75 percent of the cost, Palmer City Council is paying for 25 percent of the cost for the PPD officer stationed at Palmer High School and the WPD officers stationed at CHS, HJHS and WMS.

“It also gives my officers a chance to connect with the kids,” said Cottle. “It’s a partnership.”

The Palmer City Council passed an ordinance in March of 2018 to fund 25 percent of their own officer, who was commended for her work during the 2018-2019 school year. Palmer’s SRO this school year will be officer Keith Barkwood from PPD. Wasilla’s SRO will be Jeff Sheveland, Houston Jr. Sr. High School’s SRO will be Adam Lapointe and Colony’s new SRO will be Wayne Miller, all WPD officers.

“They’re all our kids. We want them all to be safe and secure and I’ve got kids that live inside the city limits that go to school in Houston and go to school in Colony and vice versa,” said Cottle. “They are all our kids and it’s a good partnership between the schools and the police.”