School district considers hiring armed deputies to patrol schools

Wednesday, May 20, 1998 | 11:21 a.m.

Under the measure, members of the district police department would become campus safety specialists. The district would then contract with the Washoe County sheriff's office to provide armed officers.

"It improves student safety by providing for three trained individuals on every high school campus and one at the middle schools where we don't have any now," Superintendent Mary Nebgen said. "As a school district our mission is educating students and a police force is a questionable aspect of that if there's a better way to provide for student safety."

Campus police oppose the idea and plan to try to stop its implementation.

"We have 27 sworn officers now and they want to cut that to 11," said Chris Sewell, president of the school police officers union. "How can students get the safety they deserve with few officers?"

Another school officer, Bob Rowberg, said the proposal was an insult to campus police.

"We were all hired as police officers," he said. "Keeping us on as security guards is a slap in the face."

Each high school would have a full-time deputy and two safety specialists, while middle schools would have a safety specialist only.

Principals would have hiring and firing authority over campus safety specialists, while deputies would report to the sheriff's office.

The district considered disbanding the school police force before. In 1996, school and sheriff's officials discussed a plan, but that fell through when Sheriff Dick Kirkland said he would not allow his officers to be unarmed.