Superintendent Tom Horne has reinforced the Arizona Department of Education's commitment to school safety by renewing their partnership with Off Duty Management until 2026, ensuring continued on-campus protection by armed School Safety Officers in six counties, as reported by the Department's official website. The initiative, which positions uniformed police officers in schools, addresses officer shortages and promotes campus security.
The expanded agreement will notably benefit Maricopa County, with sixty districts or charters to participate, and schools in Apache, Cochise, Pima, Pinal, and Yavapai counties; Horne delineated the aim of the program, “The safety of school campuses is a priority for my administration. If some armed maniac should try to invade a school, the most effective response is to have well-trained armed law enforcement officers to protect everyone on campus,” emphasizing the dire circumstance for which the measures are in place. This public-private synergy has been hailed as innovative and a first in the nation, as mentioned on the Department's communications.
In a statement obtained by the Department's communications, Mike Kurtenbach, Director of School Safety, highlighted the dual benefit these officers bring as both protectors and positive influences, "This agreement with Off Duty Management is a complement to the School Resource Officer program and illustrates how police officers who work as School Safety Officers also are trusted role models for students, which brings a sense of safety to the school campus." The distinction between added security and mentorship is clear in the Department's strategy.
The program is backed by Off Duty Management's specialized approach, providing software solutions for scheduling off-duty police officers through their OfficerTRAK® system; this innovation allows for the maximization of available law enforcement personnel across jurisdictions, "By working with law enforcement agencies utilizing the Off Duty Management solution, an off-duty officer from one jurisdiction can elect to work in a school within the jurisdiction of another law enforcement agency. With this innovation, an officer can be provided to a school even if the community where that school is located has a shortage of its own officers," Kurtenbach explained to the Department's website, pointing out the nuanced efficiency of this arrangement. Presently, over 700 officers are certified and ready for such assignments.
