Task force looking at Wyo. school security issues

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — A task force studying Wyoming school security is focusing on police officers in schools, security vulnerabilities and training for police and educators.

The Casper Star-Tribune reported Friday ( ) that the task force has three months to submit a report to Gov. Matt Mead. The report will then be given to the Legislature's Select Committee on Education Accountability in October for possible use in legislation.

Police assigned to schools, known as school resource officers, have been widely discussed since the shooting deaths of 26 children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut in December. Wyoming currently has 35 resource officers statewide. That isn't enough, said Tony Young, Mead's deputy chief of staff.

"We're going to need more than that if we're going to efficiently cover schools," he said. "How we're going to pay for it, that I am not sure."

Some schools currently pay for resource officers with federal funds and others split the cost with county governments.

"There's no line item on the budget for (school resource officers), so districts just cobble money together," said Rep. Nathan Winters, R-Thermopolis.

The Legislature this year first trimmed back and then killed a bill that would have allocated $2.3 million to provide one resource officer per 1,000 students. Lawmakers said they wanted a study of the issue first.

Task force members include behavioral health specialists, law enforcement officers, educators, lawmakers, firefighters, Homeland Security officials and a member of the military.

Funding for the task force comes from the governor's office and the state Homeland Security Department.

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Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune,