The West Sacramento City Council approved a five‑year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Washington Unified School District on Dec. 3 to cost‑share a single school resource officer (SRO) assigned primarily to the district’s high schools.

Chief Strange and Washington Unified representatives presented the MOU and survey results used to shape the program. Dr. Jay Burns summarized district outreach, noting that families, staff and students prioritized emergency preparedness, threat assessment, training and positive relationship‑building. The district emphasized that the SRO role should be focused on safety and emergency response, mentorship and liaison duties — with clear delineation that school discipline remains the responsibility of school administrators and that officers should not function as school counselors or routine classroom managers.

Presenters described required training topics for any assigned SRO, including adolescent brain development, trauma‑informed practices, support for students with disabilities, de‑escalation, human‑trafficking awareness and mental‑health response. Staff said the MOU would include selection input from the district, supervisor oversight, training commitments, and periodic evaluation of the pilot program.

Council members asked about Measure O hiring impacts, interim coverage during absences, back‑ups and evaluation metrics. Staff confirmed the city will add one new sworn position (cost‑shared with the district) rather than reassign an existing funded post; selection will include district input and staff expect to provide interim coverage via overtime and supervisory support as needed. The council voted to approve the MOU; roll call recorded unanimous approval.