The Mount Vernon City Council voted on June 22 to approve hiring a full-time school resource officer for St. Vincent de Paul School, with the school paying 75% of the cost for nine months of the officer's time.
According to Mount Vernon Police Chief Robert Morgan in a video recording of the meeting, "Basically a school resource officer works nine months out of the year for the school. Three months out of the year during the summer break they come back to the police department and we assign them to whatever duties we have going on right now." Morgan said the school will pay $75,000 of the $100,000 costs to the city for the officer, including insurance, salary and other benefits. The city's 25% share should equal $25,000. During summer months, Morgan said, "the police department will use the officer to fill in on the road as needed, such as if other officers are on injury leave, to cover community events and other needs," according to a video recording.
Morgan also said that while details are still being finalized, "the city told the school they wanted a minimum of a three-year agreement. That detail hasn't been worked out yet, but the school might be willing to go up to a five-year agreement." He added that Safety Service Director Tanner Salyers is explaining to the school that future costs may increase and would need negotiation.
Providing context about similar arrangements in Mount Vernon schools, Morgan said in the video recording that "the city has a joint contract with the Knox Career Center and Mount Vernon Schools. Patrolman Armstrong covers the middle and high schools, with Mount Vernon Schools covering 50% of the costs. The Career Center covers another 25% of the costs and the city [covers] the remaining 25% reflecting summer duties outside of the school year," according to a video recording.
Morgan referenced safety concerns following an incident last year: "With a Catholic school shooting in Minneapolis last year still in every school administrator's minds, this isn't a decision that will become a fad. If at the end of this contract the school was not interested in renewal...the city would either absorb the cost of the officer and assign other duties within the police department or it could become a layoff situation. He said he doesn't foresee that happening," according to a video recording.
