The Carroll City Council finalized an agreement at its meeting Monday night with the Carroll Community School District (CCSD) to provide a school resource officer (SRO) starting in the 2025-26 school year. Police Chief Brad Burke says the department and school officials have been discussing the feasibility of adding an SRO for several years and are ready to move forward.
Under the proposed agreement, the Carroll Police Department would add one officer to its roster, and the district would pay 70 percent of the SRO’s salary and benefits. The remaining 30 percent would be the city’s responsibility. Burke says the SRO would be included in the department’s regular shift rotations when school is not in session or out for summer break. The initial agreement is for three years and renews annually by default after that point. Ward 4 Councilwoman, who supports the SRO agreement, says she would like to hear an update on the program in about a year.
Chief Burke and Superintendent Berlau indicated they would be willing to do that. The council voted unanimously to approve the SRO agreement with CCSD. The department has begun the process of hiring a new officer. The SRO assigned to the district will be one of the department’s more veteran officers.
