Santa Rosa Police Department
and Santa Rosa City Schools
SRO Program Overview – Memorandum Of
Understanding (MOU) Agreement
Presented by:
John Cregan, Chief of Police
Matt Crosbie, Sergeant
School Resource Officers
SRO Mission-
School Resource Officers of the Santa Rosa Police
Department are dedicated to collaborating with the
Santa Rosa School Districts to ensure a safe learning
environment, provide valuable resources to school
staff and youth, to prevent and solve problems within
the school and community and to foster positive
relationships between youth and police officers.
SRO Program Historic Overview
• The Santa Rosa Police Department’s SRO program has a 24-year-long history of collaboration with Santa Rosa City Schools (SRCS).
• 1996-2020
• 1996: The SRO program was established with the assignment of one School Resource Officer to SRCS.
• Due to the growing needs of the school district and the success of early efforts, the program expanded over the next decade to include five total SROs and one dedicated supervising Sergeant.
SRPD SROs work on three basic principals
The City of Santa Rosa encompasses multiple school districts:
• The largest district is the Santa Rosa City Schools District (SRCS). • Additional school districts within the city limits also include:
• Bellevue Union School District
• Bennett Valley Union School District
• Piner-Olivet Union School District
• Rincon Valley Union School District
• Roseland Public Schools
• Wright Union School District
Montgomery High School Piner High School Santa Rosa High School Elsie Allen High School Maria Carillo High School Santa Rosa City Schools District serves
approximately 14,500 students across 23 schools
9 elementary schools
4 charter schools
4 middle schools
5 high schools
1 continuation school
Santa Rosa City Schools
Historically: SROs participate in Contract Events through SRCS These include:
Football games
Basketball games
School Dances (Prom)
Graduation/ Project Graduation
Open house night
SRO Program Overview Year 2020 – Present:
• 2020: The existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between SRPD and SRCS expired. This coincided with significant societal and local challenges at this time:
• March 2020: COVID-19 forced schools to shift to remote learning, significantly reducing campus activity.
• May 2020: The death of George Floyd led to a national conversation on policing, including Police School Resource Officer programs. • June 2020: After much debate, Santa Rosa City School Board voted to pause the SRO program in a 7-0 vote.
July 2020 – Initial Ad Hoc Committee established
• SRPD and SRCS supported creation of an Ad Hoc Committee to further assess and have conversations around the SRO program and relationship with SRCS. • Objective: To evaluate whether the SRO program should be maintained in its current format, continue under new modifications, or discontinue program entirely. • July 2020: After several weeks of committee collaboration and input:
• Committee Vote: 30 out of 32 committee members voted to continue the SRO program with recommended modifications.
• SRPD participated in this process and ultimately voted in alignment with the majority of the committee to continue the program with modifications - and not elimination or pause.
December 14, 2020 – School Board Response and follow-up on vote to “Pause” SRO program.
• SRCS Board sends letter to then City Manager Sean McGlynn requesting collaboration to “reimagine campus safety. ”
• Follow-up meeting occurs with:
•City Manager McGlynn
•Police Chief Ray Navarro
•Superintendent Diane Kitamura
• SRPD reiterates commitment to maintaining a new and modified SRO program. 2021–2022 – Challenges and School Safety Concerns
• Increased On-Campus Incidents Nationwide and Locally
• Rise in school-based fights, weapons possession, and behavioral incidents post-pandemic lockdown.
• National data highlighted a surge in school safety threats and violence, echoing our local observations.
• The return to in-person learning brought an increase in mental health-related crises, putting additional pressure on school staff.
2021–2022 – Challenges and School Safety Concerns
Further MOU agreement talks stall between SRPD and SRCS • Loss of Preventative Safety Measures begin to take place in schools • Without dedicated SROs, schools lost daily on-campus law enforcement presence. • Proactive threat identification, informal counseling, and early intervention efforts were significantly reduced with youth on campuses.
• There continues to be an increased reliance on patrol officers to respond to incidents on campus from a distance, often in a reactive capacity. 2022-2024 Data:
SRPD Calls for Service – Santa Rosa City
Schools
Threat Investigations
Physical Fights & Assaults
Battery Reports
Welfare Checks on Students
Theft Reports
Vandalism & Graffiti
Trespassing / Suspicious Persons on Campus
Weapons on Campus:
4 separate stabbing incidents of students &
4 loaded firearms recovered on high school
campuses
Events - School Name 2022 2023 2024 Grand Total
Santa Rosa High School 118 216 163 497
Piner High School 106 179 136 421
Montgomery High School 93 192 108 393
Maria Carillo High School 102 183 102 387
Hilliard Comstock Middle School 107 132 102 341
Elsie Allen High School 93 134 99 326
Herbert Slater Middle School 50 105 96 251
Cesar Chavez Language Academy 86 80 60 226
Santa Rosa Middle School 50 70 91 211
James Monroe Elementary School 26 38 32 96
Steele Lane Elementary School 23 36 35 94
Albert Biella Elementary School 40 29 16 85
Abraham Lincoln Elementary School 23 31 19 73
Hidden Valley Elementary School 22 27 17 66
SR Charter School for the Arts 18 26 20 64
Luther Burbank Elementary School 16 24 11 51
Ridgway High Continuation School 9 19 19 47
Helen Lehman Elementary School 11 18 16 45
Proctor Terrace Elementary School 18 18 5 41
Brook Hill Elementary School 5 17 14 36
SR French-American Charter School 13 5 11 29
Grand Total 1029 1579 1172 3780
March 2023 – Montgomery High School Tragedy
•Homicide at Montgomery High underscores urgent need for SRO presence. • Widely recognized by staff, parents, and students as a turning point. • Calls to reestablish SRO program intensify from community.
February 2024 – Formation of New Committees
•3x3 Committee created:
• Joint leadership between Santa Rosa City School Board & Santa Rosa City Council members.
•Additional Working Group established (13 community stakeholders):
• Represented diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
• Tasked with drafting a new MOU (Memorandum of Understanding).
June 2024 – MOU Finalized by Working Group
• After weeks of collaboration, the framework of the MOU is completed by working group.
• Shared vision to promote Safety, Equity, and Partnership in Our Schools:
•Safety
•Equity
•SRO selection process
•Training
•How information is shared
•Defined roles and responsibilites
•Partnership between SRPD and SRCS
• Presented to the 3x3 Committee for approval
Key MOU Components:
Shared Vision
Unified Commitment to a Safe and Inclusive School Environments • The MOU promotes a holistic approach that supports both emotional and physical student well-being.
• The partnership emphasizes early intervention, positive relationships, safety preparedness, and student-centered support to promote safe and secure schools.
Key MOU Components:
Strong Partnership
Partnership Grounded in Mutual Trust and Transparency
• Clear roles and responsibilities that build trust between SRPD and SRCS, reinforcing transparency and accountability.
• Ongoing Dialogue and Regular MOU Review
• The MOU is a living document reviewed regularly to meet evolving student and school needs.
• Shared Accountability
• Both SRPD and SRCS are jointly accountable for the success of this partnership and engage with the school community to promote understanding and inclusion.
• Joint Problem-Solving and Continuous Improvement
• The partnership encourages collaboration to address concerns, share feedback, and identify opportunities for growth.
Key MOU Components:
Information Sharing & Defined Roles
• FERPA-Compliant Communication Protocols
• Communication between SRPD and SRCS complies with FERPA to ensure student privacy.
• Data Collection and Transparency Through a Forward-Facing Public Dashboard • A shared, forward-facing dashboard will be used to communicate arrest data, trends, and outcomes with the broader community, ensuring transparency.
Clear Separation of Administrative School Discipline and Law Enforcement Roles • SROs do not engage in school discipline or administrative enforcement of school rules outlined in the Education Code.
Key MOU Components:
Promoting Safety
• SROs’ Clear Roles Around Relationship Building, Mentorship, Threat Assessment, and School Safety
• SROs to serve as visible, approachable mentors, and support staff during emergencies and in maintaining a safe school climate—not as disciplinarians • Clearly Defined SRO Roles That Enhance Safety and Preparedness • SROs positioned on campuses to support emergency preparedness, threat assessment, and crisis response.
• De-Escalation Focus and Non-Punitive Approaches and Early Intervention • SROs will be trained to use restorative justice practices and trauma-informed approaches focused on prevention and support over punishment.
Key MOU Components:
SRO Selection & Training
• Collaborative Selection Process of SROs with Stakeholder Input • SROs are chosen with input from school district leaders to ensure alignment with school values and priorities.
• Additional Training in Trauma-Informed Care, Adolescent Development, Mental Health, De-Escalation, and Implicit Bias
• Officers receive comprehensive and ongoing training in areas critical to supporting youth development.
• Shared Training Opportunities with School Staff
• Joint training fosters unity and shared understanding between law enforcement and educators.
March 2025 – SRCS votes on MOU agreement:
3/18/25:
3 x 3 Committee members meet one final time to solidify final agreement and details of MOU.
3/25/25:
SRCS School Board holds special board meeting and passes 3-year MOU agreed upon by both parties.
SRO Program Fiscal Impact:
• Costs will be collaboratively addressed by SRPD and SRCS through the standard budget process.
• Annual cost projections will guide planning and funding decisions. • Both parties agree to negotiate in good faith to establish a fair cost- sharing arrangement.
• Initial estimated cost for SRPD: $2,169,933 (Year 1)
•Includes purchase of vehicles, equipment, and training for officers • Ongoing annual operational cost: Approximately $1,716,933 Recommendation
It is recommended by the Police Department that the
Council, by resolution, approve the 2025–2028
Memorandum of Understanding between the Santa Rosa
Police Department and Santa Rosa City Schools to
formalize the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of the School Resource Officer Program, and to support
continued collaboration on school safety. The MOU also
outlines a shared commitment to discuss and negotiate
cost-sharing, of the SRO Program.
•QUESTIONS?