By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
A Canadian County sheriff’s deputy will provide full-time security for Yukon Public Schools during the 2022-23 school year.
The deputy will be assigned to Redstone Intermediate and Surrey Hills Elementary, the two YPS school sites outside Yukon city limits.
Canadian County Commissioners recently approved a formal agreement between the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office and Yukon school district “to provide uniformed security services at their campuses” for this school year.
“The Yukon Police Department takes care of the schools inside the Yukon city limits,” Canadian County Undersheriff Kevin Ward said. “Yukon has two schools up by Surrey Hills that are in the school district but Oklahoma City limits. So, we will be taking care of those two schools.”
Ward was referring to Redstone Intermediate School (grades 4-6), 11501 W Britton Road; and Surrey Hills Elementary School (grades PreK-3), 10700 Hastings Ave.
Both Redstone and Surrey Hills schools are north of Britton Road and east of Piedmont Road (State Highway 4).
“Canadian County Sheriff’s Office will provide one commissioned deputy who will be assigned to YPS for 12 full months,” according to the agreement signed by Canadian County and YPS officials.
The sheriff’s school resource deputy will be certified by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) and commissioned by the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office.
The deputy’s primary duties are to “provide community policing law enforcement services on campus, including crime deterrence, crime detection, criminal investigation, and apprehension of offenders,” the agreement reads.
HOW MUCH?
The Yukon school district has agreed to pay the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office $79,967 to cover the annual salary, benefits and partial expenses of one deputy. Payments will be $6,664 monthly.
YPS also will be responsible to cover the deputy’s 5% cost-of-living raise that takes effect Jan. 1, 2023.
YPS will ensure the assigned deputy and their supervisor will have YPS photo IDs and key access cards (or hard keys) to the two school facilities.
If the school deputy cannot be present at the assigned schools, the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office will perform “random perimeter patrols and walk throughs” of the schools, the agreement indicates.
“The deputy may be released back to Sheriff’s Office functions during long periods such as Christmas or summer breaks when not needed by YPS. All deputies are subject to temporary or short-term recall from the schools in the event of an emergency situation.”
The school deputy also will utilize annual vacation and comp time leave during periods that school is not in session.
Yukon Police provide uniformed security services for Yukon school district sites inside Yukon’s corporate boundaries – Yukon High School, Yukon Middle School, Lakeview Intermediate School, Independence Intermediate School, Shedeck Elementary School, Parkland Elementary School, Ranchwood Elementary School, Myers Elementary School, Central Elementary School, and Skyview Elementary School.
YPD school resource officers are assigned full-time to YPS secondary campuses during the school term.
