Full Notification

 

Petaluma Police Department NEWS RELEASE

                                                                                                                                                           PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release                                                                                                   
Monday August 13, 2018
Issued By:
Lieutenant Ron Klein, Petaluma PD, 707.778.4530, email: [email protected]  
Petaluma Police Department and Petaluma Unified School District Announce Return of School Resource Officer Program  
The Petaluma Police Department and Petaluma Unified School District are pleased to announce to the community the appointment of two School Resource Officers (SRO’s) who will begin their assignments this week. This was made possible by the Petaluma Unified School District who secured a grant from the California Department of Justice which fully funds these two positions for two years with the possibility of the grant being extended on an annual basis.
 
The Petaluma Police Department enjoyed a great working relationship with the Petaluma Unified School District having officers serve as School Resource Officers in Casa Grande High School and Petaluma High School. Budgetary constraints and staffing reductions at the police department in 2008 caused the SRO program to be eliminated. The program was started back up with an officer in 2013 for 4 months at Petaluma High School however had to be stopped again due to staffing shortages. It has always been the desire of the Petaluma Police Department to place officers back in the schools however the funding simply has not existed.
 
In June 2018 the Petaluma Police Department was contacted by Assistant Superintendent Dave Rose of the Petaluma Unified School District. Mr. Rose advised the police department of a grant the school district had procured from the California Department of Justice. The grant which is funded from Tobacco Sales Tax would fully fund two School Resource Officer positions for two years with the possibility of annual extensions if grant objectives are attained. The grant not only funds the two School Resource Officers it also allows for educational opportunities within the community and the schools specifically of the dangers of using tobacco.
 
This was amazing news however the Petaluma Police Department is still suffering a staffing shortage with only 61 sworn officer positions filled of the 66 the department is allocated. While the Petaluma Police Department has 61 sworn officers on staff that number also includes officers out on industrial injuries and officers in training who are not operating as solo officers yet further depleting the available resources.
 
Many police agencies in California are struggling to find qualified applicants and the Petaluma Police Department is no different. After careful consideration it was decided this was too great of an opportunity to place officers back into our schools and staffing changes were made. The police department will be reassigning a detective assigned to the Sonoma County Auto Theft Task Force and one of its Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) Officers back to patrol services to allow for two officers from patrol to be assigned as School Resource Officers. These reassignments are temporary and the officers will be placed back into the Auto Theft Task Force and HOST when staffing allows.
 
The Petaluma Police Department is very proud to be able to announce that two of its senior officers Dan Miller and John Antonio will be its next SRO’s. Officer Miller will be assigned to Petaluma High School while Officer Antonio will be assigned to Casa Grande High School. Both Officer Miller and Antonio have previously been SRO’s and have repeatedly been recognized for their work within the community especially their work with the youth of Petaluma. Officer Antonio has spent over 10 years involved in local football programs as well as coaching at various high schools. Officer Miller has done the same with baseball including coaching the varsity Baseball Team at Casa Grande High School for several years.
 
While primarily being assigned to the two largest high schools Officer Miller and Antonio will also assist with issues at other schools within the school district as time allows. The role of School Resource Officer is not the traditional role of a police officer. Often they will serve as counselors, role models and advocates for students, families, and school staff. The ability to build a rapport with students and help them avoid conflicts in school and most importantly stay out of the criminal justice system is vital.
 
The Petaluma Police Department in response to school and workplace violence trains its officers to respond to active incidents involving violence. This is especially important in today’s society where there is an increase in school violence unfortunately seen nationwide. Not only will having School Resource Officers on campus assist in securing both Petaluma and Casa Grande High Schools the assigned officers will also support and participate in all school safety planning to include emergency response drills and related activities.     
 
The safety of Petaluma’s Campuses is at the top of the Petaluma Police Department’s priority list. The Petaluma Police Department wants to thank the Petaluma Unified School District and especially Assistant Superintendent Dave Rose for securing the grant which will allow us to restore School Resource Officers back into Petaluma and Casa Grande High School. This partnership will undoubtedly benefit not only students, faculty and families but the community as a whole.