Auburn will keep police officers assigned to city schools for another five years while expanding coverage at the junior high school under an agreement approved Thursday.
The City Council also accepted $193,301 in state funding for gun violence prevention, police overtime, community programming and new cameras in an area where officers have responded to shootings, stabbings and other serious incidents.
Both public safety measures passed unanimously.
The agreement with the Auburn Enlarged City School District continues a partnership that began in 2000. It runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031, and requires the district to reimburse the city for wages and benefits connected to school assignments and special events.
The contract provides three full-time school resource officers and five full-time special patrol officers.
Auburn High School will have one school resource officer and one SRO supervisor. Auburn Junior High School will have one SRO and one special patrol officer. Five special patrol officers will be assigned across the district’s five elementary schools.
The city may also use retired police officers to cover vacancies, absences and special events.
City Manager Jennifer Haines said the addition of a special patrol officer at the junior high school is the most notable change from the previous agreement.
Police Chief Matthew Androsko said officers and school officials have seen a need for additional coverage at the building.
“Over the recent years, there were complaints of the middle school or junior high having issues,” Androsko said. “That’s why we always felt adding another body there would really assist.”
He said the program is designed to do more than respond to emergencies or enforce laws.
The officers work with students, teachers, administrators and families, provide educational programs and help address safety concerns. Androsko said their presence also gives young people a chance to develop relationships with police before problems occur.
“It’s not just safety,” he said. “It’s starting recruitment and developing relationships when they’re young.”
The district will pay $38 per hour for regular assignments during the 2026-27 school year. That rate will rise to $42 per hour by the final year of the contract. Special-event assignments will be reimbursed at $52 per hour.
The district will also contribute between $2,650 and $2,850 annually for training and equipment.
Councilor Christina Calarco, who works in the school district, praised the officers assigned to Auburn High School during the past year.
“The SROs at the high school this year were really great, and I appreciate everything that they did for us,” Calarco said.
The council separately accepted funding through the state Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative.
The one-year grant requires no local match and includes $155,000 for police overtime, $22,000 for community programming, $7,133 for outdoor cameras, $4,000 for required travel and $5,168 for crime analyst wages and benefits.
Androsko said the department is considering placing visible cameras near State and Perrine streets, an area identified through crime analysis as a violence hot spot.
“We’ve had a lot of issues — homicides, shootings, stabbings, bar fights,” Androsko said.
He said the cameras would be visible and intended to deter crime rather than operate as concealed surveillance.
Councilor Terrence Cuddy asked whether they would be Flock Safety cameras, which use automated license plate recognition and have raised privacy concerns in Auburn and other communities.
Androsko said the department is not considering Flock cameras for the grant. He said Verkada is one company under review, but the city has not selected a vendor or purchased equipment.
Councilor Rhoda Overstreet-Wilson asked whether a private company would collect or retain footage captured by the cameras.
Androsko said those details would need to be examined before the city selects a vendor. He said Auburn police would continue sharing relevant evidence with other law enforcement agencies when necessary to investigate crimes.
Councilor Craig Diego said the GIVE program has helped police recover firearms and target enforcement where it is needed most.
“This thing works,” Diego said. “This is a huge program for any police agency.”
Giannettino also credited the initiative with helping officers focus resources on locations and times where violent crime is most likely to occur.
“It has made a difference,” the mayor said. “It is making the community safer.”
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