By Matthew Holoway |
The State of Arizona is deploying School Resource Officers (SROs) into additional schools through 2026. The firm Off Duty Management will be facilitating the deployment of armed, uniformed police officers into multiple schools across six counties as part of Superintendent Tom Horne’s agreement with the company.
According to a press release from the Arizona Department of Education, Horne announced the state’s partnership with Off Duty Management last October to facilitate the deployment of armed, trained and uniformed officers despite the shortage of police officers in many Arizona communities.
Off Duty Management is a firm founded by former law enforcement officers with a particular market in supporting law enforcement operations. It employs current officers during their off-duty time through it’s proprietary OfficerTRAK® software and mobile app enabling the officers to schedule opportunities to work as SROs at various participating schools.
Horne told reporters, “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. Our partnership with Off Duty Management is a vital part of ensuring safety. It is proving to be a successful, effective public-private partnership and the first of its kind in the nation.”
Arizona Department of Education’s Director of School Safety Mike Kurtenbach explained, “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.”
He added, “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. Cross-jurisdictional sharing of resources makes perfect sense to use this strategy to protect children and others in schools.”
He observed that the arrangement places over 700 officers, trained and eligible under the law, to serve at the disposal of Arizona schools. Sixty districts or charters in Maricopa County and dozens more across five other counties are participating.
Speaking with AZ family, Horne said, “We didn’t say no to anybody because my nightmare is that some maniac would go into a school and kill 20 kids.” He noted that the actions of two SROs were critical to halting the rampage of a 14-year-old who attacked and killed two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in Georgia. Horne told reporters the tragedy could have been much worse. “It saved a lot of lives,” he said.
In a post to X following the school shooting, Horne wrote, “My heart goes out to the people of Georgia today. And to those who continue to resist School Resource Officers in Arizona, please watch the news. These tragedies are recurrent nightmares demanding we prioritize safety in our schools.”
He explained that at present, “There are 228 SSOs that are full-time, then we have what are called school safety officers that are part-time,” and cited the expansion will vastly increase that number. He told the outlet that all schools requesting an SRO should get one.
Matthew Holloway is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
