SNOHOMISH — For the first time in years, a police officer will be assigned to Snohomish High School again, starting on Monday.
It won’t, however, be the first time that Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Charlie Frati steps onto the campus. He graduated from Snohomish High in 1995.
Frati, 37, has worked for both the Snohomish Police Department and the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office over the years, before the two agencies became one in 2012. He also has previously worked as a school resource officer at Snohomish High School and he lives just outside town.
The Snohomish School District cut its school resource officer program in 2012, due to budget constraints. In 2015, the school district will pay for 75 percent of Frati’s salary and benefits while the city of Snohomish picks up the rest, Police Chief John Flood said. The city pays the sheriff’s office to police the town.
Frati will be assigned to patrol in Snohomish during the summer. The addition of the new position brings the city’s police force to 18 commissioned officers, Flood said.
Multiple deputies applied for the job, and the vice principal sat in on the interviews. Frati was chosen for his compassion, his problem-solving skills and because he’s approachable, Flood said.
His job will be to connect with students and staff to “make sure everyone has a safe day at school,” Flood said. Historically, school resource officers are people students trust when they need to report violence at home, including sexual abuse, the chief said.
Frati will help the 1,800-student campus with discipline proceedings and drug-prevention education. The most common crime reported at the school is drug possession, Flood said. Frati also will work on safety planning, improving campus security and lockdown procedures.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office has school resource officers, along with the police departments in Arlington, Everett, Lake Stevens, Marysville, Mill Creek and Monroe.
Work also now is under way to add an officer back to Glacier Peak High School, possibly in 2015, Flood said.
“Unfortunately, it’s a sign of the times that we need that presence at the school, but it’s also a tremendous benefit to the students there,” he said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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