City of Wenatchee Agrees to SRO Contract with Wenatchee School District

The Wenatchee City Council voted unanimously last week to approve their contract with the Wenatchee School District to share the cost of two School Resource Officers (SRO).

Both the city and the school district will end up paying about $140,000 each. The city will initially pay the full cost of the two SRO's but will be reimbursed by the school district.

Council Member Jim Bailey said he was happy to vote for the deal.

"I taught at Wenatchee High School for a long time. I was there when we first started this program." said Bailey, "I can tell you from experience that it's an extremely valuable relationship to have, and it makes a difference."

Sergeant Brian Miller, who is in charge of the Special Services Division, told the council that SROs Jared Reinfeld and Jared Shepard went through additional, state-required training over the summer.

The training included:

• Constitutional and civil rights of children in schools
• Collateral consequences of arrest
• Resources available to the community
• De-escalation techniques
• Bias-free policing
• A process for families to file complaints

The agreement can be renewed annually upon mutual agreement for up to four additional terms.