Community Services Unit

Student safety continues to be the top priority of the change from SROs to CROs. CROs will maintain the mandated training required by state law and KPD policy to ensure their primary responsibility:

• To respond to calls for service at a school campus with the training and experience to interact with students to help keep students physically, socially, and emotionally safe at school

Other primary purposes of the partnership between the LWSD and KPD continue to be:

• Helping to keep students out of the criminal justice system
• Providing expertise and guidance to the district related to threats, safety and security
• Increasing understanding of District and Department operations,
• Providing positive interactions between law enforcement officers, school staff, students, and families
• Connecting students, families, and school staff to supportive community services

The primary law enforcement duties of a CRO includes the following priorities for Kirkland schools:

• Child Protective Services (CPS) investigations
• Truancy paperwork service
• No Trespass paperwork service
• Respond to 911 and other emergency calls at schools
• Respond to collisions that occur on campus
• Conduct scheduled safety assessments of school facilities at the request of district administration
• Provide support for traffic and pedestrian concerns in school zones, to include bicycle safety and bicycle lane enforcement
• Provide educational support, if requested by building administration
• Participate in threat assessments, as needed or requested
• Provide continuous support of district efforts to manage threats of violence or harm
• Collect/dispose of evidence/paraphernalia obtained during school operations
• Provide safety training for staff, students, parents, as requested
• Comply with district policies and procedures

CRO advanced training includes: 

• Instruction on the differences between law enforcement inside a school environment including understanding the teen brain and de-escalation techniques.
• Applying the concepts of planning, prevention, and response to school
• Learning strategies to work closely with school administrators on problem solving and crime prevention strategies
• Developing a better understanding of the causes and solutions for school violence
• Conducting site assessments of school buildings within their school district
• Constitutional and civil rights of children in schools, including state law governing search and interrogation of youth in schools
• Child and adolescent development
• Trauma-informed approaches to working with youth
• Recognizing and responding to youth mental health issues
• Educational rights of students with disabilities, the relationship of disability to behavior, and best practices for interacting with students with disabilities
• Collateral consequences of arrest, referral for prosecution, and court involvement
• Resources available in the community that serve as alternatives to arrest and prosecution and pathways for youth to access services without court or criminal justice involvement
• Local and national disparities in the use of force and arrests of children
• De-escalation techniques when working with youth or groups of youth
• State law regarding restraint and isolation in schools, including RCW 28A.600.485
• Bias free policing and cultural competency, including best practices for interacting with students from particular backgrounds, including English learners, LGBTQ, and immigrants
• The federal family educational rights and privacy act, FERPA

During working hours in which a CRO is not engaged in handling incidents involving a school, a CPS complaint or other applicable calls for service in the community, they will absorb ancillary duties that the SRO’s historically only performed during summer months such as:

• Emphasis patrols in parks (both in a vehicle and on a bicycle)
• Bike patrol on Cross Kirkland Corridor, Lake Washington Blvd and the various business districts within the City
• Supporting patrol during critical incidents 

The Department has historically provided bicycle emphasis patrols during the summer months that have received positive community feedback by utilizing Officers assigned to SRO positions or by scheduling voluntary overtime shifts with patrol officers. CROs would provide a more flexible resource for directed bike patrols throughout the year.

Creation of Community Resource Officers (CROs)  

In May and June of 2023, the City Manager, the Chief of Police, the Deputy Chief of Police, the Community Service Unit (CSU) Lieutenant and the CSU Sergeant participated in a series of meetings with the District and other law enforcement agency partners to discuss the mutual benefit of continuing to make adjustments to the program while prioritizing student safety. Many of these programmatic changes are a result of community input and current staff collaboration, as well as making sure that the City and the Department continue to utilize the SRO Task Force recommendations as a roadmap. The Department and the District are making these changes to evolve and improve their partnership with the goal of keeping students safe, while also reducing any unintended negative impacts on students based on race, religion, immigration status, gender, sexual orientation, ability or income.

The Department, neighboring agencies and the District will be finalizing a contract for the 2023-2024 school year that will continue to ensure Officers with advanced training are responding to incidents involving schools.

View the SRO Task Force Report of Recommendations

Throughout 2019 and early 2020, the City and the Lake Washington School District convened a task force consisting of various members of the Kirkland community.  The task force consisted of community members representing various organizations and perspectives, as well as leadership staff from the City and District. The City contracted with an external consultant to help plan and facilitate task force meetings, and the group met seven times between June 2019 and January 2020.

The task force was convened in response to concerns from the Kirkland Human Service Commission and other Kirkland residents about possible unintended consequences of a police presence on middle school campuses, specifically regarding potential disproportionate impacts on students of color and students with disabilities, as have been documented in other communities. Generally, the task force found that the Kirkland SRO program uses best practices for officer training, does not involve officers in school discipline, and employs experienced officers.

Through the task force’s conversations, research, and review, the group identified several recommendations to help address concerns in the community, including two immediate improvements. First, the process for data collection and reporting of student contacts should be more robust to ensure that the SRO program is using best practices and is not causing unintended negative consequences, particularly for students of color, LGBTQ students, and students with disabilities.  In August of 2020, the Council adopted R-5434 to ensure the safety and respect of Black people and to dismantled structural racism in Kirkland.  Creating a Community Resource Officer Dashboard was one of one of many actions called for in R-5434, and the City is currently developing it.

The second immediate recommendation from the task force was for there to be continuous re-introduction of the SRO program to parents, students, and the school community in order to communicate the program’s purpose, the role of the SROs, their responsibilities in the schools, and students’ rights.  If you or your group want an orientation from one of our SROs, please let us know – we’re happy to come meet with your group, tell you about what we do, and answer any questions or concerns you may have. 

Do Community Resource Officers ask about immigration status and work with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)?

Community Resource Officers won’t ask about the immigration or citizenship status of a student, except where consular notification is required by law for the protection of the individual. Per Kirkland Police Policy (Lexipol 411.4), it is the policy of the Kirkland Police Department that all members make personal and professional commitments to equal enforcement of the law and equal service to the public. Confidence in this commitment will increase the effectiveness of this department in protecting and serving the entire community and recognizing the dignity of all persons, regardless of their immigration status.

Are Community Resource Officers involved in school discipline?

No, Community Resource Officers are not involved in school discipline.  School discipline is the internal discipline model used at school by school staff (detention, suspension, expulsion). Formal school discipline situations are handled by school administrators within the school environment. SROs do not function as a school disciplinarian, but they will conduct law enforcement investigations concerning situations that are beyond the scope of school administrators to handle, such as violent criminal allegations and child abuse/neglect allegations.

Are school staff members or Community Resource Officers allowed to search students?

A school principal, vice principal, or principal's designee may search a student, the student's possessions, and the student's locker, if the principal, vice principal, or principal's designee has reasonable grounds to suspect that the search will yield evidence of the student's violation of the law or school rules. A search is mandatory if there are reasonable grounds to suspect a student has illegally possessed a firearm in violation of RCW 9.41.280.

Per RCW 28A.600.210, the Washington State Legislature finds that illegal drug activity and weapons in schools threaten the safety and welfare of school children and pose a severe threat to the state educational system. School officials need authority to maintain order and discipline in schools and to protect students from exposure to illegal drugs, weapons, and contraband.

Community Resource Officers are bound by all 4^th amendment search and seizure laws that apply to other police officers. Community Resource Officers may be asked to assist school administration in an administratively justified search. They may be the “principal’s designee” as noted above based on their knowledge and experience, along with knowledge on safe handling of contraband or possible weapons.

When would Community Resource Officers use force?

Use of force is when a police officer uses physical techniques or tactics, chemical agents, or weapons on another person, as well as a show of force, such as displaying a firearm and/or taser, in order to gain compliance or overcome resistance. The Kirkland Police Department Policy Manual states: “Officers shall use only that amount of force that reasonably appears necessary given the facts and circumstances perceived by the officer at the time of the event to accomplish a legitimate law enforcement purpose. Given that no policy can realistically predict every possible situation an officer might encounter, officers are entrusted to use well-reasoned discretion in determining the appropriate use of force in each incident” [Kirkland Police Policy - Lexipol 300].

A juvenile under 14 years of age should not be restrained unless they are suspected of a dangerous felony or when the officer has a reasonable suspicion that the juvenile may resist, attempt escape, injure him/herself, injure the officer or damage property. Community Resource Officers should only use restraints on a student while at school or a school-related activity when there is an imminent likelihood of serious harm and pursuant to the school policy for students and staff (RCW 28A.600.485).

What is the responsibility of a Community Resource Officer if there is an active shooter situation at school?

As a commissioned police officer, an SRO follows the same rapid response and deployment policy (KPD Policy 412.4 First Response) as all other police officers, if faced with a potential crisis situation, such as an active school shooter incident:

If there is a reasonable belief that acts or threats by a suspect are placing lives in imminent danger, first responding officers should consider reasonable options to reduce, prevent or eliminate the threat. Officers must decide, often under a multitude of difficult and rapidly evolving circumstances, whether to advance on the suspect, take other actions to deal with the threat or wait for additional resources.

If a suspect is actively engaged in the infliction of serious bodily harm or other life-threatening activity toward others, officers should take immediate action, if reasonably practicable, while requesting additional assistance.

Officers should remain aware of the possibility that an incident may be part of a coordinated multilocation attack that may require some capacity to respond to other incidents at other locations.

When deciding on a course of action officers should consider:

(a) Whether to advance on or engage a suspect who is still a possible or perceived threat to others. Any advance or engagement should be made based on information known or received at the time.

(b) Whether to wait for additional resources or personnel. This does not preclude an individual officer from taking immediate action.

(c) Whether individuals who are under imminent threat can be moved or evacuated with reasonable safety.

(d) Whether the suspect can be contained or denied access to victims.

(e) Whether the officers have the ability to effectively communicate with other personnel or resources.

(f) Whether planned tactics can be effectively deployed.

(g) The availability of rifles, shields, breaching tools, control devices and any other appropriate tools, and whether the deployment of these tools will provide a tactical advantage.

In a case of a barricaded suspect with no hostages and no immediate threat to others, officers should consider summoning and waiting for additional assistance (special tactics and/or hostage negotiation team response).

An officer's duty is to protect the lives of the public while keeping in mind the following priorities of life:

(a) Hostages

(b) Citizens/Bystanders

(c) Officers

(d) Suspects

Additionally, the Department has a long history of conducting active shooter response training for all commissioned officers, including the SRO’s.  The Department strives to conduct this training for the department every other year and includes the following (KPD Policy 412.7):

The Training Sergeant should include rapid response to critical incidents in the training plan. This training should address:

(a) Orientation to likely critical incident target sites, such as schools, shopping centers, entertainment and sporting event venues.

(b) Communications interoperability with other law enforcement and emergency service agencies.

(c) Patrol first-response training, including patrol rifle, breaching tool and control device training.

(d) First aid, including gunshot trauma.

(e) Reality-based scenario training (e.g., active shooter, disgruntled violent worker).