A Houston Police Department officer will be assigned to the Houston R-1 School District campus beginning with the 2018-’19 school year.
The unanimous decision came Monday during a meeting of the Houston City Council, which approved an agreement that will lead to hiring an officer and establishing office quarters at the school.
Under the agreement, which was earlier approved by the school district:
•The school district will pay 75 percent of the cost under a three-year contract. The city will pay the balance, expected to be about $10,000 annually.
•The officer will be a city employee, eligible for the normal benefits extended to its workforce.
•The city will provide a car, uniform and equipment, the latter which may be eligible for grant assistance, according to Chief Tim Ceplina.
•The new officer, who has been identified but not assigned, is expected to begin training and working on the project this summer. The agreement begins July 1, Ceplina said, and the assignment would start when classes begin in August.
The decision marks the conclusion of informal discussions the last two years between the school district and city leaders. With the council’s blessing, the formal agreement will be hammered out soon.
When the district isn’t in session during the summer, the officer will be used by the city’s police force, filling in for vacations.