In what is becoming a challenging reality for law enforcement departments grappling with staffing deficits, the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety has made the tough call to reassign its sole School Resource Officer (SRO) to general city patrol. Chief Tim Mattos confirmed the decision, aimed at bolstering the department's minimum staffing requirements, was borne out of necessity rather than preference. "It comes down to numbers," Mattos said, indicating the city's growth, which hasn't been matched by an increase in policing staff, as reported by The Press Democrat.
Officer Debbie Lamaison, a fixture at the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District for the past three years, expressed a personal struggle with the transition, having built a bond with the students. "I just love the kids so much," Lamaison remarked in a statement to The Press Democrat. She emphasized her role not just as an authority figure but also as a nurturing presence for the community's youth.
Tackling multiple vacancies and dealing with staff on medical leave, the Department of Public Safety has found itself in a compromising position that necessitates the elimination of specialty assignments, including the traffic motor officer and Lamaison's SRO position. Mattos, in a social media post from the City of Rohnert Park Police & Fire, explained the reassigned SRO will be deployed to perform regular citywide patrol work due to the staffing strains.
As for the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District, Superintendent Maite Iturri assured families that despite the loss of the campus officer, student and staff safety remains our highest priority, and that the district will maintain existing safety protocols and partnerships with Rohnert Park Public Safety and other agencies, as she announced in a recent message.
