Bill could end Pendleton’s school resource officer program
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – Oregon State Senate Bill 238 has Pendleton Police Chief Chuck Byram worried. It proposes that schools be barred from having school resource officers. The chief says it should be left to individual school districts because SRO Lance Zaugg stands for what the program should be.
“He does a wonderful job connecting with these children within the school preventing stuff before it becomes a big issue and preventing children from entering into the juvenile justice system,” Byram said of Zaugg.
Byram said Pendleton’s school resource officer program is solely funded by the police department, with no financial contribution from the school district. In spite of that, the bill would forbid any school district from entering into a written agreement with law enforcement.
Having Zaugg on duty inside the schools gives him an intimate view of the problems kids face while those problems can still be addressed outside of official criminal justice action.
“If Officer Zaugg can intervene with behavior that he’s seeing that could pose a problem and get it nipped before it becomes an actual problem, then why wouldn’t we want that,’ he said.
The bill is currently before the Senate Committee on Education.
