Grand Canyon Times

State schools superintendent Tom Horne has extended the Department of Education’s agreement with Off Duty Management through 2026, covering multiple schools in six counties. This extension is part of Horne’s initiative to ensure that students, educators, and staff are protected by armed and uniformed School Safety Officers.

Last October, Horne announced the partnership with Off Duty Management to place armed, uniformed police officers in school campus officer positions despite a shortage of police officers in many communities. Sixty districts or charters in Maricopa County will benefit from this program. Schools in Apache, Cochise, Pima, Pinal, and Yavapai counties will also receive added staffing.

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 facilitate scheduling off-duty job opportunities for officers at various schools within participating Arizona school districts.

Kurtenbach further commented: “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.”