The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) are preparing to sign off on a $95,000 contract that would keep a School Resource Officer (SRO) at Nisqually Middle School and its linked elementary campuses for three more years.
Sheriff Derek Sanders introduced the proposal during the BoCC's agenda-setting meeting on Tuesday, April 8.
The deal would fund one deputy, which is Deputy Micah Rose, for the 2025–26, 2026–27 and 2027–28 school years. It binds the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) and the North Thurston School District to a continued agreement for school-based policing as mandated by the state.
Although Nisqually Middle School now falls under Lacey Police Department jurisdiction, district officials asked the county to keep the current deputy in place. Sanders said the district wanted stability and opted to sidestep disruption or jurisdictional change.
According to Sanders, “Lacey police didn’t have the staffing” capacity to assign an officer to the school. So, to bridge the gap, the school district agreed to cover the cost. Since then, no objections have been raised by families, faculty or staff."
To have an overview of the deputy’s coverage, Commissioner Emily Clouse asked how one deputy could realistically serve seven schools.
Sanders said the role is rooted almost entirely at Nisqually Middle School.
“I would say Nisqually Middle School is probably a full-time job. … Deputy Rose spends about 90% of his time at the middle school,” Sanders said.
He explained the deputy visits elementary schools only as needed, usually for events or community engagement.
The SRO’s presence in the elementary level is intended to “build relationships with kids” so that by the time they reach middle school, they already “know and understand,” and trust the officer.
As discussion continued, BoCC Chair Tye Menser then recalled past legislation intended to study the function of SROs statewide.
“Back when we were discussing all that, I called every superintendent about their SROs — why they liked them, what they did that was positive. … I think it was Rochester that said the best part of the SRO was managing angry parents. The SRO would just kind of keep the temperature down. … I thought that was a weird thing — I would have never thought of that,” he explained.
The law asked districts to collect data on SROs, especially involving “racial disparities.” But the state “pulled funding” for follow-up. No reports emerged. Sanders confirmed the law came before his term, around 2021.
Meanwhile, Clouse asked about the training required for deputies working in schools. Sanders said each officer completes 40 hours of basic training and 40 hours of advanced coursework. The lessons happen during summer breaks.
BoCC Vice Chair Wayne Fournier noted that contracts with districts aren’t one-size-fits-all.
“The relationship between the agency and the school district … that's all negotiated by the school board and the sheriff's department,” he said.
He explained some contracts include expectations like classroom instruction on cyberbullying, while others are based on general availability. He also noted a deputy’s hours or specific tasks might not even appear in the contract.
Sanders affirmed ROs shape their role based on what each campus needs. Some are visible on social media. Others meet quietly with students and parents behind the scenes. One deputy holds after-hours meetings with teachers to address behavior issues and work toward solutions.
To date, three SROs work under the TCSO. They serve North Thurston, Rainier and Rochester school districts.
Commissioner Rachel Grant asked if the program follows “restorative justice.” Sanders said it does, and avoiding incarceration is an objective.
“We don’t take kids to jail hardly ever,” he said.
Instead, deputies focus on working with parents, teachers and staff to help students succeed.
Sanders noted, in the county, the youth detention center usually holds about 10 minors at any given time.
He pointed to Olympia, where two firearms turned up on campus and no SRO was on-site. A district vehicle responded, but police were stretched thin.
In Thurston County, he said, serious offenses go to juvenile prosecutors who focus on mending, not punishment.
Grant said she was glad to hear school districts want to keep their officers.
“All of our school districts seem pretty happy with the school resource officers. They do not want to let go of those,” Grant said.
Sanders said the support from families and school staff has been steady and strong.
In order for the SRO contract to be discussed thoroughly, Clouse asked the item to be removed from the consent agenda and be moved in the department items.
Also, she raised the past SRO controversy in Olympia and asked if similar concerns had cropped up in Thurston County.
“I know Olympia School District has had a lot of controversy. … Have we had any of that here?” she asked.
Menser said he had early doubts, too. He read national stories that painted SROs in a harsh light. But after looking closely at the local model, he found no signs of misuse.
Fournier, who once worked in schools, said national headlines don’t always reflect local realities. He also emphasized the value of officers knowing school layouts and emergency protocols ahead of time.
Sanders offered an example. Someone once called Nisqually Middle School and claimed to have an AR-15.
“Deputy Rose was waiting in the foyer. He’s online, but already on the radio saying, ‘I’m here. I’m ready for him,’” Sanders said.
Nothing happened, but Sanders said that moment showed why speed matters. This immediate response is the kind of preparedness TCSO wants.
He stressed the importance of selecting the right SRO. School districts help interview and choose the officers. Deputies drawn to high-speed chases or drug busts don’t fit the mold.
Working in schools, he said, feels more like a “social work type deal” than law enforcement.
“A good SRO can do very good work. A bad SRO can do real harm,” Sanders said.
The BoCC agreed to move the contract out of the consent agenda to allow for a full discussion during department items.
8 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Quadlok
Why does the school district have to pay? If a police presence is truly needed it should be provided out of the sheriff's budget. The district would be better off hiring a social worker.
Friday, April 11 Report this
Acadian04
Not sure a social worker would be "ready" for the kid with the AR-15. Would likely have triggered lights and sirens.
Friday, April 11 Report this
Quadlok
When have the cops ever prevented a school shooting? Sincerely.
Saturday, April 12 Report this
HotTractor
Money would be better spent on hiring a social worker to assist parents in handling situations with their children. The community should step up and spend the money on better methods of preventing issues at schools and possibly increasing Sheriff's budget for training and staffing a position. The Sheriff's position should have more than one person assigned sequentially.
Saturday, April 12 Report this
mamabear83
If you want to know when school resource officers have stopped a school shooting all you have to do is do a Google search. Here are a few examples:
Apalachee High in Georgia, 2024
Lehi Middle School in Utah, 2023
Dixon High in Illinois, 2018
In 2023, "two students brought guns to campus in the first four days of school" at Capital High School in Olympia (source: KOMO News). “I met personally today with city leadership to get a sense of their ability to staff a school officer should we move in that direction, and while they do have some staffing challenges, they are prepared to do so,” said OSD Superintendent Patrick Murphy.
How could we know how many times the presence of law enforcement has prevented a school shooting? It's a great question, but that is also data that would be quite difficult to collect. I doubt very many people would want to come forward to let everyone know they had contemplated shooting up a school but changed their minds because of the presence or influence of a school resource officer.
Saturday, April 12 Report this
RiriSD
I support this. I saw posts and news that SROs Deputy Rose (North Thurston SD), Deputy Hansen (Rainier SD), and Deputy Leischner (Rochester SD) are all very much engaged and loved in their respective schools!
Saturday, April 12 Report this
LoopdoGG
Sounds like a good position for unemployed veterans with some real weapons training and the discipline to engage with an active shooter. If the school district wanted to get the best security protection plan, they would hire private security with that particular skill set and physical fitness background. I would also imply that a military veteran would be more restrained in the use of deadly force when less than lethal force can be used to disarm someone with a bladed weapon. If gun-free zones are suppose to make people safer, there needs to be somebody who is there to act as the enforcer of that rule by not being part of that unarmed demographic. A Shepard doesn't guard a flock by declaring an area to be a wolf-free zone, rather he enforces a no wolf zone by confronting the wolves with a slingshot and deadly accuracy to dispatch the wolves who see a wolf-free zone as a target of opportunity due to less competition until they find out what makes a wolf-free zone exist as more than just a concept. It has already been established that mass shooter choose to target gun-free zones on their own volition knowing that a response will not be swift and resistance encountered will be minimal. A would be school shooter is looking for a thrill attained by killing as many unarmed sheople as possible. WA State lawmakers don't face those types of threats during a legislative session because they operate in a gun-free zone at the Capitol with an armed security detail guarding them as they scheme to arbitrarily create more gun-free zones with more defenseless sheople knowing that they have a comfortable gun-free environment to do so from that is guarded by the State Police. They love their gun-free zone because they are protected by their knights in shining armor who have a monopoly on the firepower on Capitol grounds and that is the model they wish to have for the entire State of Washington. But they need the armed criminals and school shooters in order to advance their agenda of civil disarmament so that they can justify passing more gun laws that criminals disregard while vilifying lawful gun owners. Making school campuses into hard targets is not part of their campaign against the Second Amendment. So if high speed pursuits and drug busts are what you seek, don't apply for an SRO position. An emergency response to a gunman on campus and busting drug dealers in school zones is not the image that the School District is trying to affiliate with unless it involves some hillbilly with a shotgun and a rifle hanging in the back window of a truck while dropping their kid off at school while driving under the influence of their prescription medications.
Saturday, April 12 Report this
BillString
Hey, more worthless cops in schools! SRO's are always the fattest, most craven officers on the force. Why not bring back the worthless D.A.R.E. program as well?
Sunday, April 13 Report this