Deer Park HS to get new school resource deputy

Deer Park High School students better be on their best behavior this coming school year or they’ll have to answer to a new school resource deputy.

Spokane County commissioners gave the Sheriff’s Department the go-ahead last week to hire a Deer Park High School deputy.

Deer Park’s new deputy with be the Sheriff’s Department’s seventh school resource deputy.

Other resource deputies patrol University, Central Valley, West Valley, Mead and Mt. Spokane High schools. Freeman and Liberty High schools share a deputy.

Each of those schools pays the county $15,000 a year for the service, with the county picking up the remainder of the cost.

The city of Deer Park is splitting the $15,000 cost with Deer Park High School. A $25,000 grant plus $35,000 in county funds will pay the remainder of the deputy’s salary and benefits.

The city has agreed to pay part of the cost because many city residents are frustrated that the deputy assigned to the city is spending too much time at the high school rather than patrolling, said Deer Park Mayor Michael Wolfe.

And then there are the benefits to the kids.

“It’s a part of our community that needs our help,” Wolfe said.

The grant expires in three years, when the county’s cost will rise to $50,000 a year.

That’s a problem, said Commissioner Phil Harris, because under the terms of the grant, the county must continue funding the deputy even after the grant expires.

“If you guys want to end up with a broke county, go ahead with it,” Harris told the other two commissioners.

But Commissioners Todd Mielke and Mark Richard said the benefits outweigh the costs.

Resource deputies are able to build lifelong respect for law enforcement among teens and are able to head off problems, said Richard.

Sheriff’s Capt. Gerry Fojtik said the benefits of resource deputies go beyond the schools.

“They solve a lot of crimes,” he said, adding the deputies often track down juvenile offenders. “It’s a great investment for the dollar.”