Grant to fund Wahluke security upgrades moves forward

MATTAWA — The Mattawa Police Department is moving forward with a $372,750 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services for security upgrades and personnel at schools in the Wahluke School District, with the city of Mattawa providing $124,250.

The grant, known as the COPS grant, will pay for electronic keyfob entry points and upgrade security cameras at all schools in the district. It will also provide a school safety specialist, and pay for training and a laptop computer for the position. The Mattawa Police Department, which supplies the school district’s SROs (school resource officers), will receive two additional radios and training for the SROs.

Currently, the MPD is providing the Wahluke School District with SROs as part of a contract signed between the two entities in late 2019. Wahluke School District Interim Superintendent Andy Harlow said one of the biggest benefits to the SRO contract, and now the grant funding, is the restoration of the relationship between the city and the school district. Up until the last year, the relationship has not been very good.

“It has been nice to work with Scott (Hyndman, former mayor) and Chief (Joe Harris) on things like this,” Harlow said. “It feels like we have a real relationship there.”

The majority of the time the police department has been the SRO for the school district has been during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the police department and the school district have worked together to make the SRO program a success, despite students not always being on campus.

“We have been helping the school district with virtual attendance compliance when teachers or counselors are concerned,” said Mattawa Police Chief Joe Harris. “We contact families and make sure they have the resources they need, such as a Wi-Fi or jetpack, whatever they need to be successful.”

Harris said when contacting families, the SROs, who are full police officers, have to be careful to ensure families don’t feel threatened because their child isn’t in school.

“We have to be very sensitive about how we do those kinds of things,” Harris said. “The school district is in the same boat as us.”

Harlow said the school district and the city have worked together on the use of the SRO while school is not in session and how to deal with the lack of staffing at the Mattawa Police Department due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The contract signed between the Wahluke School District and the city of Mattawa in November 2019 says the police department would supply two SROs for the 2020-2021 school year. But because of COVID restrictions, new hires to the Mattawa Police Department have had a difficult time getting their required training.

“Chief (Harris) said we’re not going to have an SRO every day, but we will have one when we need one,” Harlow said. “Otherwise he’d just sit on campus when kids are not there. We have someone anytime we need it. It’s been a little bit of give and take on both sides.”

Both Harris and Harlow are hoping the police department’s new hires will get into the police academy in January and receive their training.

“We really want two SROs,” Harlow said.

In spite of the challenges, the partnership between the two entities has continued to remain positive. The school district originally found the COPS grant and reached out to the city to partner with them. The grant will enable the school district to enhance security by allowing the police department access to their buildings and security cameras in case of emergencies.

“If an alarm comes on at 1 a.m., they will be able to see if it is an intruder or just a door open,” Harlow said. “That is the greatest benefit to us.”

While the police department and school district are continuing to move forward with the grant, Mattawa’s new mayor, Maggie Celaya, is hesitant. Celaya was asked for comment via email and declined, saying she was “still in the process of reviewing the COPS grant application.”

“Her biggest concern was what it was going to cost the city,” Harlow said.

Harlow said the matching funds from the city as part of the grant will come in the form of “time and effort.”

“It won’t cost the city a dime,” Harlow said. “Being a good mayor, she is working through the grant with her lawyer and our business manager.”