After the Caldwell electorate voted down its school district’s $4.1 million supplemental levy in May, school resource officers (SROs) have become one of the casualties of budget cuts .
Instead, Eagle Eye Security will step up to fill the void. At the school board’s Monday meeting, members approved a yearlong contract with the private force, which will allocate three officers to patrol Caldwell schools while class is in session.
Caldwell High School, Canyon Springs Alternative High School and Syringa Middle School (now for all students in grades 7 and 8) will each have their own officer. The contract also allows for the possibility of a fourth officer for Jefferson Middle School (now for all students in grades 5 and 6) should funds become available.
Previously, the district contracted with the Caldwell Police Department to have SROs. Had the district renewed the contract this year, there would have been four SROs at Caldwell schools throughout the 2024-25 school year.
As it stands, costs are being covered by federal Title IV-A grants and the general fund, while the district continues to pursue other grant opportunities.
Final details regarding cost are still being worked out. At approximately $40,000 per officer, the new hires are estimated to have a lower price tag than the former police presence’s $300,000 yearly. However, as private security officers, they will not have the same powers as SROs. Superintendent N. Shalene French said their role would be to monitor school premises and ensure the perimeter is secure while building rapport with students.
“These officers are not writing up tickets. They are not police officers, they are not arresting,” French said. “If there’s a police issue or an infraction, we have contacts… [for] when it requires police intervention.”
However, unlike past SROs, the Eagle Eye officers will be on campus full time. They plan to carry handguns.
“If we can be armed where everybody can see it, if there is somebody thinking about [causing a threat]... we’re trying to be a deterrent,” Eagle Eye spokesman Rantz Hanchey said. “We are making sure that we open carry.”
Whether armed security deters school violence is unclear. While studies have shown that increased police presence is associated with decreased violent crime, a 2021 study by the JAMA Network that examined incidents from 1980 to 2019 did not find an association between the presence of an armed officer and school shooting deterrence.
The Eagle Eye officers will use holsters with a retention level of 3, meaning that three distinct hand motions will be required to release a firearm.
The contract will not cover extracurricular events, meaning that if the district wishes to hire Eagle Eye Security outside of the school day, costs will need to come from another funding pool, such as athletics.
The new officers will likely begin patrolling Caldwell schools around Sept. 1. The district’s first day of the new school year was Wednesday.
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