Superintendent Tom Horne expands school safety partnership in Arizona with Off Duty Management
September 10 2024 - 11:47AM
Off Duty Management is working with Arizona Department of Education
to help place armed police officers in schools, called School
Safety Officers, to supplement Arizona’s School Resource Officer
program. This is proving to be a successful national model of a
public-private partnership.
State schools superintendent Tom Horne has extended the
Department of Education’s agreement with Off Duty Management
through 2026 at multiple schools in six counties as part of Horne’s
goal to make sure students, educators and staff are protected by
armed and uniformed School Safety Officers.
Last October, Horne announced the partnership with Off Duty
Management to facilitate the placement of armed, uniformed police
officers in school campus officer positions despite an ongoing
shortage of police officers in many communities.
Horne stated, “The safety of school campuses is a priority for
my administration. If some armed maniac should try to invade a
school, the most effective response is to have well-trained armed
law enforcement officers to protect everyone on campus. Our
partnership with Off Duty Management is a vital part of ensuring
safety. It is proving to be a successful, effective public-private
partnership and the first of its kind in the nation.”
Mike Kurtenbach, Arizona Department of Education’s Director of
School Safety, added, “This agreement with Off Duty Management is a
complement to the School Resource Officer program and illustrates
how police officers who work as School Safety Officers also are
trusted role models for students, which brings a sense of safety to
the school campus.”
Off Duty Management was founded by former law enforcement
officers designed to support law enforcement initiatives. The
company works directly with local law enforcement agencies and
school districts to fill vacant School Safety Officer positions.
Off Duty Management’s OfficerTRAK® software and
mobile app make it easy for officers to schedule an off-duty job
opportunity as a School Safety Officer at various schools in
participating Arizona school districts.
Kurtenbach added, “By working with law enforcement agencies
utilizing the Off Duty Management solution, an off-duty officer
from one jurisdiction can elect to work in a school within the
jurisdiction of another law enforcement agency. With this
innovation, an officer can be provided to a school even if the
community where that school is located has a shortage of its own
officers. Cross-jurisdictional sharing of resources makes perfect
sense to use this strategy to protect children and others in
schools. More than 700 officers are trained and eligible for School
Safety Officer assignments in participating Arizona school
districts.”
About Arizona Department of EducationUnder the
leadership of Superintendent Tom Horne, the Arizona Department of
Education's mission is a service organization committed to raising
academic outcomes and empowering parents. For more information,
visit https://www.azed.gov.
About Off Duty ManagementOff Duty Management,
headquartered in the greater Houston area, is dedicated to serving
and safeguarding law enforcement agencies, officers, and community
organizations by offering an innovative solution that manages all
aspects of off-duty programs. In addition to full-service
administration, the company’s proprietary software, OfficerTRAK®,
and broad insurance coverage limits the risk associated with
off-duty work. Off Duty Management provides all these components at
no cost to the agency or officers. With a seasoned team of law
enforcement professionals, Off Duty Management provides exceptional
service to municipalities, schools, various other organizations and
the largest law enforcement agencies using a third-party off-duty
management company. For more information, visit
www.offdutymanagement.com.
Media Contact:Kristen Crawfordkcrawford@lukaspartners.com