Brainerd City Council Reinstates School Resource Officer Contract

After dissolving its school resource officer contract in September, the Brainerd City Council officially reinstated the agreement with Brainerd Public Schools during its meeting on Monday.

The city initially severed the SRO contract after a recent Minnesota law change regarding how and when school officers can use reasonable force created concern within Brainerd’s police department. After Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison provided additional clarity on the law, the department has said they are now comfortable re-entering the high school.

“As soon as that clarification came, Chief [John] Davis called us right away and then our SRO was back in the building, even before we had our – we had our school board approve the contract before the city did, so he came back that next day,” explained Brainerd Public Schools Superintendent Heidi Hahn. “It’s a different feel when there’s a physical presence in the building, compared to when it’s just outside the building. Even with that gap of not [having an SRO] in the building, we felt very supported and had their presence with us.”

The new SRO contract will stay in effect through June 30, 2025.