TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — On Thursday School Safety Officer, Bill Bonanno arrested 31-year-old Daniel Hollander who entered Liberty Traditional School East Tucson’s campus with a gun and a knife.
The school safety officer position is funded by the Arizona Department of Education’s school safety program, which according to ADE is, “is a competitive, state-funded grant that runs in three-year cycles.”
According to ADE, 40 schools in Pima and Cochise counties have been approved for funding from the school safety program for an officer on campus.
While schools may have to wait for the next three-year cycle to apply, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Horne says, “The rule is, if they ask for it, they get it.”
Horne says 365 officers have been funded in the state through the program. However, he says Thursday’s incident illustrates the need for a police officer at every school.
“We had a very courageous and experienced police officer, who because he was so experienced and knowledgable, he knew to act immediately and not wait for back-up.”
The Tucson Unified School District is the largest in Southern Arizona, and while not part of this state program, has its department of school safety. Its Director, Joe Hallums says working to keep all 88 schools safe is a 24/7 operation.
It's an operation that Hallums says runs a lot like other law enforcement entities – there are 90 people on staff, 25 of which are uniformed officers. During the school day, nine officers are at high school sites.
“Plus one that’s a roamer that helps provide additional services,” Hallums said. “Now when they’re at their high school sites, they also provide services to those nearby middle schools and elementary schools.”
He says an important of their job at TUSD is making sure district staff is properly trained.
“We can’t be everywhere at once so we need to really provide them the tool if necessary to be able to navigate situations, be able to de-escalate situations and be able to identity any critical situations where they may need to react appropriately at any given time, Hallums said.
In statements to KGUN 9, some districts shared information about officers on their school campuses.
Sahuarita Unified School District stated it has four school resource officers. One officer is assigned to each high school, while the other two officers are shared between two k-8 schools and one traditional middle school.
Catalina Foothills School District has three school resource officers. “While their primary assignments are at our middle and high schools, they are available to assist at elementary schools when needed. It’s important to note that SROs are not CFSD employees but work closely with our district to ensure swift emergency responses and maintain a safe learning environment.”
Vail School District says it has a couple of school resource officers assigned to Cienega, Old Vail Middle School, and Corona Foothills Middle School.
Flowing Wells Unified School District has one school resource officer at Flowing Wells Junior High.
