Council authorizes three grant‑funded school resource officer positions for Florence schools

The Florence Town Council authorized the police department to add three grant‑funded sworn officer positions to provide school resource officers (SROs) at Florence High School, Florence K‑8 and Anthem K‑8.

Police Chief Walz framed the request as a safety priority and thanked the council for advancing school safety. Denise Erickson, assistant superintendent for student services at Florence Unified School District, said the district received approval to apply for an extension of the school safety grant that covers SROs and that the grant will fund up to $138,000 per officer per year for salary and employee‑related expenses (the program funds 11 months of each position; the town would cover the remaining month). Erickson said the grant requires sworn, active law‑enforcement officers employed by a local agency.

Councilmembers spoke in favor of the request; Councilmember Bucellato and others described the proposal as long overdue and praised the district and police for their partnership. Questions raised during discussion included how the officers will be used during school breaks; staff and the district said officers may serve in community policing roles when students are not on campus and that training scheduling typically happens during those off periods.

A motion to add the three grant‑funded positions carried on a council vote. Council directed staff to complete the personnel authorization and to work with the district and grant administrator on any ongoing funding and reporting requirements.