Resource officer talks move forward

Luverne School District may work with the Rock County Sheriff’s Office and the city of Luverne for a school resource officer.
Total cost for an officer, equipment and vehicle is estimated at $98,000. The district, city of Luverne and sheriff’s office would each pay a third of the costs.
Sheriff Evan Verbrugge presented the costs and ideas for the program to Luverne school board members at their June 24 meeting.
Verbrugge cited city park vandalisms last December by high school students as an issue that could have been solved more quickly if a school resource officer had been available.
An officer could also work with the school on truancy cases, thefts, assaults, harassing communications and bullying.
The DARE program at the elementary could resume and ALICE program (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) could have support instruction.
Building community relations within the schools would also be a priority for the school resource officer, Verbrugge said.
“Law enforcement should be talking with these kids and educating them on what law enforcement relationships should be between the two of them and reaction with one another,” he said.
At their June 10 workshop, board members discussed how the officer would fit into an educational setting.
The board voted unanimously at their June 24 meeting to move forward with a school resource officer.
Board member Jeff Stratton, who is a Rock County deputy sheriff and attended the meeting via Zoom, abstained from the vote.
The city, county and school will work together to define the officer’s role and the hiring process that could be a current officer or potentially a new hire.
“It has to be the right person,” Verbrugge said. “If we have someone, we can’t just throw them in there, because it is not going to be the right fit.”
A multi-year contract between the entities may be considered.
The officer, who could be working as soon as January, could also work one day in the Hills-Beaver Creek School District. H-BC is considering joining the pairing and will decide later this month if they will share in the costs.
In early June, Verbrugge and Luverne Mayor Pat Baustian met with Luverne school officers.
Verbrugge said the city is negotiating a new five-year law enforcement contract and noticed the increase in phone calls about how to proceed with issues and calls requesting an officer to the school campus.
He said he sees an officer at the school as a proactive resource rather than a reactive one for the city of Luverne.