Resource officer to be assigned to Oakley middle schools to ‘ensure safe environment’

Oakley’s K-8 school district and City Council last week agreed to a contract that will assign a school resource officer to the area’s two middle schools.

Under the memorandum of understanding between the city and the Oakley Union Elementary School District, a uniformed officer will split their time between Delta Vista Middle School and O’Hara Park Middle School for a three-year term.

According to the city staff report, the primary purpose of the school resource officer program is to “encourage desirable behavior, ensure a safe environment, and foster communication between students, parents, school staff, and police officers.”

Oakley City Manager Joshua McMurray explained during a June 11 City Council meeting that the city had a similar contract with the Liberty Union High School District, which includes Oakley’s Freedom High School and Brentwood’s Liberty and Heritage high schools.

Under this contract, he said the LUHSD reimbursed the city 50 percent of the SRO’s base salary, and the contract structure with OUESD is the same. 

After approving the contract at its own meeting on June 12 last week, the OUESD Board of Trustees agreed to pay the city $71,308 for the 2024-25 school year, $73,447 for the 2025-26 school year and $75,651 for 2026-27. McMurray said the contract allows OUESD to request a change in officers if the one assigned is deemed unsuitable for the campuses.

‘A good modeling’

Speaking at the City Council meeting, Oakley Police Chief Paul Beard said the school resource officer program at the high school changed over the years to allow the officer to focus on the schools. Previously the officer was also a juvenile detective, whose duties sometimes pulled them away from the campus, back to the department to work on cases.

“We took that responsibility away from the SRO, and we leave that SRO at the school 100% of the time,” Beard explained. “That is a good modeling. That is working out well. The high school is very satisfied with the current arrangement and the particular SRO that they have.”

This will be the same case for the officer assigned to Delta Vista and O’Hara Park, Beard said. 

When the department achieves a steady staffing level of at least 36 officers, one will be assigned to the schools, McMurray said.

He anticipated an officer could be on-site as early as November or December this year.

“If things go well, maybe it’s a little sooner,” McMurray added.