Funding for Clarkston High School’s police liaison officer runs out at the end of October, leaving school officials looking for replacement funds.
The school district has two liaison officers, one at the high school and the other assigned to junior, middle, and elementary schools.
Independence Township, which contracts with Oakland County for police service, notified school officials this past spring of the change.
“I sent them a letter months ago that only one deputy would be there because of budget restraints,” said township Supervisor Dave Wagner. “We’re one of the few communities that are paying 100 percent. They used to pay part (about four years ago), and then they said they couldn’t pay any longer, so we talked to them and said we would pay until we got the budget crunch.”
The district will fund Det. Gary Crake’s liaison position at the high school, including Renaissance High School, with $81,000 in At-Risk grant funds, said Anita Banach, school communications and marketing director.
Total cost for the officer is about $100,000. The district is working to arrange a funding partnership with the township or sheriff’s office, Banach said.
“Our goal is two full-time officers,” she said. “We’re confident we can fund two officers through the school year, at least through the end of June.”
If funding runs out, the sheriff’s office will pull Crake from the high school’rather than Det. Kirk Matich from the junior high, middle and elementary schools’because cases involving younger students are generally more involved, said Sgt. Matt Baldes, Independence Township substation.
‘Matich tends to see more cases and incidents involving child sexual assault, child abuse, child neglect, things that are generally more intense and take longer to work,? Baldes said. ‘Not that we don’t hear those allegations in the high school, but typically it’s a kid with dope, a fight, something one of the road (deputies) can handle like a regular call.?
Laura Colvin and Trevor Keiser contributed to this report.