A ‘student resource officer’ is among new positions sought.

Bainbridge police and public schools have long spoken with a united voice about the benefits of having cops in classrooms.

Now an independent study has joined the chorus.

The city-commissioned benchmarking study, which assesses local government services, strongly recommended adding a “school resources officer” to the Bainbridge Island Police Department roster.

Despite the City Council’s recent deferral of a SRO position in the city’s preliminary 2007 budget, Police Chief Matt Haney believes the study’s recommendations may help shift thinking at City Hall.

“I hope it means a greater focus on the safety needs of Bainbridge Island schools,” he said.

Having an officer roaming the halls, giving classroom presentations, chatting with students at lunchtime and generally keeping a finger pressed on the pulse of public schools is nothing new in other communities.

“Look at every agency in Kitsap County,” Haney said. “They all have school resource officers – except Bainbridge.”

Bainbridge School District Superintendent Ken Crawford offered his “absolute and unqualified support” for the school resources officer after the position was proposed in the city’s preliminary budget.

The superintendent called an earlier program that gave police a regular presence in several island schools both “invaluable” and “dynamic.”

“The program placed an officer in the visible and connected role of an asset, friend, mentor….there to support, assist, protect, problem solve, and educate,” Crawford wrote in a letter to the city.

The program “certainly bridged any gap or edge between the police officers and our community’s youth,” Crawford said. “Positive attitudes toward law enforcement definitely increased.”

The program was cut last year when Haney refocused his officers on basic police duties and patrols.

“We used to have (an SRO) but calls for services were going up and patrols needed to be increased,” Haney said. “It’s an appropriate reaction for a police chief because patrols must always take precedence.”

Bainbridge High School Principal Brent Peterson said he’d welcome an SRO to his campus.

“In the recent past, the city nor the schools have had funding for an SRO…but I very much support the concept,” he said. “Day-in, day-out, the real value of having an individual law enforcement officer in our school is that they can develop relationships with students over time.”

An SRO’s typical role is less “security guard” and more of a “mentor” for young people, Peterson said.

“An (SRO) is not so much a guy that walks up and down the hallway looking for kids skipping class or trying to catch kids doing bad things,” he said. “It’s more ‘passive support,’ being a part of the community, giving presentations, attending school events, stopping in at lunchtime and informally talking with students about the basketball game the night before.”

This kind of interaction “breaks down the stereotypes” held by both law enforcement officers and students, Peterson said.

“It’s beneficial for police when they deal with kids who are in a tough spot,” he said.

At the same time, students gain a greater familiarity and trust for police.

“They’re not just the guys who write speeding tickets or show up at parties where inappropriate things are going on,” Peterson added.

An SRO’s role doesn’t necessarily cut down on youth crime. In fact, said Haney, an SRO’s presence often produces an increase in reported crimes.

“It’s because they’re right there with the kids,” he said. “You often see a spike in crimes being reported. You have (students) going up to the school resource officer and reporting that their MP3 (player) was stolen out of their car.”

Talking and mingling with students gives an SRO’s a better sense of safety issues affecting the island’s youth, and ways to help.

“(SROs) start talking at classes, talking about driving laws or answering questions about what they could be arrested for,” said Deputy Police Chief Mark Duncan. “Students might know of something that’s going on or may want to tell an officer about something that may happen. Few students are actually going to come down to the police department or call 911. But, when an officer’s just 5 feet away, it gives students an immediate opening.”