School Safety/SRO Report �2025�

“Inspire & empower students to impact the world”

School Safety Report

• Building Level Safety Meetings
• Emergency Operating Procedures (EOP)
• Standard Response Protocol (SRP)
• Reunification plan
• Building Safety Audits
• Completed by SRO Dennis and former SRO McLaughlin
• Threat Assessments
• Building Level
• District Level
• Safe2Help
• Used often
• Great collaboration with different resources
• Centegix
• Huge addition in the name of school safety!

KPS Threat Assessment Process

SRO Report 2024 – 2025

“Acta, non verba”

KPD Changing of the Guard

• May 2025: Chief Waugh was hired as the new Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol.

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• August 2025: Lieutenant Kowalek was promoted to Chief of Police with KPD.

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• Chief Kowalek formerly served as both sergeant & lieutenant over the Special Services Unit.

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• KPD’s goals and the way we do business with the schools will stay the same.

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• KPD remains committed to implementing a 4^th SRO with KPS!

Sgt. JC Small

Nate Dennis

Boyd Weller

School Resource Officers

Luis Arevalo

4^th SRO

The Kearney High School SRO is posted at the high school and does not leave the high school unmanned. There is always an SRO at Kearney High School.

School Coverage

Horizon Middle School SRO

-Also handles calls at the Hanny Arram Center for Success and all elementary schools on the west side of 2^nd Avenue.

School Coverage

The Sunrise Middle School SRO also handles all the elementary schools on the east side of 2^nd Avenue.

School Coverage

20%

40%

40%

SRO Role

SRO Reporting Statistics 2024-2025

• 286 Incident Reports
• 281 & 286 previous two years
• 60% UCR clearance rate
• Down 2% previous year
• 221 Resolved without Criminal Consequence (or, 77%)
• Up 4% from last year
• Heavy focus on school discipline
• 65 Juvenile Referrals Made
• 76 & 75 previous two years
• Tobacco/Vaping procedure change
• Undocumented Stats

• Incident Report Classifications:
• Disturbances (23%)
• Up 2%
• Assaults (14%)
• Down 3%
• Child Abuse/Neglect (14%)
• Down 1%
• Nicotine/Alcohol/Drugs (12%)
• Down 6%
• Sexual Assault/Obscenities (5%)
• Down 3%
• Mental Health/Welfare Checks (7%)

• THC vapes remain at the top of the list for arrests (41%)

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• Out of 41 assault/threat reports, only 12 resulted in arrests (29%)
• Focus on school discipline

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• Did recover one firearm from school grounds

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Juvenile referrals (arrests):

SRO Unit Highlights

• Positive Relationships/Partnerships
• KPD & KPS
• Student & Parent Relationships
• Teammates/Friends Program Mentoring
• Specialized Training
• Threat Assessment
• Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)
• Youth Mental Health First Aid
• Student & Staff Education
• Youth Citizen’s Police Academy
• 5-Week program at the beginning of the summer
• D.A.R.E. Program!
• Expanded from 2 schools last year to 3, possibly 4 this year.

SRO Unit Challenges

• 15 Schools in the district
• Only 3 SRO’s to cover all
• At least one of these SRO is always at KHS
• 75% of all violent school incidents occur at a high school
• SRO’s occasionally have to use leave, or handle other matters
• Court, DHHS intakes, follow-up investigations, training, presentations, etc.
• D.A.R.E.
• Ties up an SRO for 2-3 hours each session
• Can only afford to teach about two schools each semester

D.A.R.E. �“Teaching students decision making for safe & healthy living”

Emerson

D.A.R.E. �“Teaching students decision making for safe & healthy living”

Northeast

D.A.R.E. �“Teaching students decision making for safe & healthy living”

Bryant

Youth Citizen’s Police Academy

Special Events

Special Events

Questions?