Yelm City Council approves contracts for two school resource officers

The City of Yelm reaffirmed its partnership and commitment to serving Yelm Community Schools (YCS) during a Yelm City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 22, when councilors unanimously approved the contracts of two school resource officers (SRO) to be present within the district.

Yelm Police Chief Rob Carlson said the partnership between the department and YCS has been around for decades. He served as an SRO in 2006 and 2007, and said the relationships he built in that role are still present today.

“The benefit of having the SRO program has always been huge. Our department has always partnered with Yelm Community Schools for decades to make this program work. It’s not just about our officers going in and keeping the kids in line, it’s so much more than that. It’s about the officer taking and doing programs to be with the kids,” Carlson said during an interview with the Nisqually Valley News on Monday, July 28. “Building the gap between the kids and the police department, and getting that relationship. It’s more about getting the kids on the right track than any disciplinary thing they’d ever do for the kids.”

Additionally, Carlson said the two SROs within YCS will be Dustin Stephan and Mike Siegemund. The two have previously worked that specific position for YCS. The contract is for one year, though Carlson said typically each contract will last three years. He cited the district’s levy failure as the reason for shortening the contract to just a single year.

“Dustin, right now, is dealing with a shoulder injury, and so it’s possible we may have to replace him with another officer. That other officer is unknown at this point, but those are the two slotted for the SRO positions right now,” Carlson said.

During the city council meeting last week, Carlson specified that YCS will be paying each SRO $75,000, while the City of Yelm will pay the remaining balance owed to each officer.

“Depending on the step of where that officer is at, it can range between the city doing between $16,800, additionally from the $75,000, to $30,000. That includes all benefits as well — not only the new wage with the new contract they just signed, but their medical, vision and dental as well. It can range between that,” Carlson said on Tuesday, July 22. “This agreement will ensure a safe and secure learning environment for our youth. The school resource officers participate and train school staff in threat assessment training, crisis prevention, and intervention as well as critical incident response.”

Carlson, a former football coach at Ridgeline Middle School, said he’d like to see his SROs become involved in coaching athletics within the district. He believes that opportunity presents SROs and students with the chance to build a strong relationship with one another.

“Whatever they can do to get involved with the kids, I think that’s huge. Playing basketball with them whenever they have a break, sitting in the lunch room with them when they’re eating lunch, standing there just interacting with them and being present — it builds that confidence,” Carlson said. “It’s been that way for decades. I still have grown men coming up to me now and calling me coach, because I coached them in middle school. The impact we have on these students is huge. It builds community.”