GREAT FALLS — The Great Falls Public Schools Board of Trustees voted on Monday, November 24, to approve the concept of a new pilot program that would integrate a Cascade County Sheriff’s Office reserve deputy into the district’s existing School Resource Officer team.
The board emphasized that the vote does not finalize the program. Instead, it authorizes the district to begin drafting a detailed interlocal agreement with the City of Great Falls, Cascade County, Sheriff’s Office, and Great Falls Police Department that must be completed before a deputy can be placed in any school.
Madison Collier reports - watch the video here:
The proposal was first introduced during a November 18 work session focused on the district’s school safety plan. Sheriff Jesse Slaughter presented an idea to add a reserve deputy to help fill gaps in school coverage and support the current GFPD–led SRO program.
The Sheriff’s Office has offered to fund the position, while the reserve deputy would operate under GFPD supervision and follow the same standards and protocols used by current SROs.
Chairperson Gordon Johnson said the district saw potential value in the concept, but wants the public to understand it is still in the planning stage.
“We approved the concept,” Johnson said. “We did not sign off on having a county resource officer yet. We still have to build a thorough plan and make sure every detail, from training to funding, is fully addressed.”
According to the board’s motion, the finalized plan must establish:
- Training and vetting requirements
- Supervision and chain of command
- Funding responsibilities
- Liability and reporting procedures
- A schedule for quarterly evaluations of the pilot
Those evaluations will help the board determine whether the program should continue, be adjusted, or end after the first year.
Sgt. Katie Cunningham, who oversees the SRO program for GFPD, says the district’s current SROs are stretched thin. Last year alone, the team handled more than 800 calls for service, not counting counseling, mentoring, and parent interactions that aren’t logged as calls.
Cunningham says the reserve model could help relieve pressure on current officers, while keeping the SRO program’s philosophy intact.
“I’m not interested in just having a person with a gun in the building,” Cunningham said.“I want someone who can be a counselor, a teacher, and then law enforcement last. That’s the triad we follow.”
She explained that SROs provide far more than enforcement. They help students navigate personal issues, support parents struggling with truancy or behavior concerns, and act as a real-time link between schools and active law enforcement.
If the pilot is approved through the interlocal agreement, the reserve deputy:
- Would be POST-certified, just like any sworn law enforcement officer
- Would receive SRO-specific training through GFPD
- Would shadow current SROs before working independently
- Would follow the same expectations and protocols as current SROs
The CCSO would provide mandatory law enforcement training, while GFPD would train the deputy in adolescent development, de-escalation, active threat response, school culture, and district policies.
According to Cunningham, the idea builds on an already strong working relationship between GFPD and CCSO.The agencies share a joint SWAT team, participate together in regional drug task force operations, and have aligned several policies and patrol schedules in recent years.
“If the Sheriff’s Office has funding and sees a need, why wouldn’t we use that to support our schools?” Cunningham said. “It’s about doing what’s best for the community.”
GFPS, GFPD, and CCSO will now begin drafting the interlocal agreement and a detailed job description for the reserve SRO position. Once completed and approved, the district can move forward with posting and hiring.
Johnson says the board hopes the pilot, if finalized, could be ready by the start of the next school year, but stressed that getting the details right is more important than rushing.
“Parents deserve to know what’s happening in our schools,” Johnson said. “Safety is job one, and we want to make sure this plan is solid before anything moves forward.”
