Schools Drop Police Officer Contract for Security Staff

Fort Wayne Community Schools will replace School Resource Officers with 18 district-employed School Security Officers starting in 2027.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Law Enforcement

Photograph of a plain red brick school building with an empty walkway, a closed glass entrance door, and a bare flagpole under overcast sky. — Fort Wayne Community Schools will replace police School Resource Officers with 18 district-employed School Security Officers starting in 2027, at a cost of $1.2 million. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Fort Wayne Community Schools will not renew its School Resource Officer contract with the Fort Wayne Police Department for 2027, the district said in a press release on Tuesday. The district will instead hire 18 School Security Officers as district employees for $1.2 million.

Why it matters

The Fort Wayne Police Department has said it has been unable to staff School Resource Officer positions due to labor shortages and funding, and the contract would have cost $1.13 million if continued. The change supports goals from the 2023 SAFER Referendum to double the number of officers in middle and high schools.

The School Resource Officer contract with the Fort Wayne Police Department remains in effect through 2026 at $539,870, with non-renewal taking effect in 2027. The extraction does not indicate whether any legal or contractual disputes are pending.

The players

Fort Wayne Community Schools

The public school district serving Fort Wayne, Indiana, which is making the change to its school security staffing model.

Fort Wayne Police Department

The municipal police agency for Fort Wayne, Indiana, which has supplied School Resource Officers to district schools under the now-ending contract.

P.J. Smith

The Fort Wayne Police Chief, who said the department will return officers to street duty following the contract's end.

The details

The district notified the police department of the decision in a Tuesday press release. School Security Officers will receive School Resource Officer training but will not be sworn law enforcement officers, and Fort Wayne Police Chief P.J. Smith said the department will return officers to the street.

2026: Current School Resource Officer contract rate of $539,870 remains in effect.
2027: School Resource Officer contract non-renewal takes effect and School Security Officers begin.

Legal Context

The change follows the 2023 SAFER Referendum, which aimed to double the number of officers in Fort Wayne middle and high schools. Instead of police-supplied School Resource Officers, the district is using non-sworn security staff funded directly by the school system.

Fort Wayne families will see a different adult presence in district schools starting in 2027, with 18 School Security Officers replacing police-assigned School Resource Officers. The officers' non-sworn status means they will not carry the same law enforcement authority as the officers they replace.

The takeaway

The shift shows how school districts can weigh the cost and staffing of police-supplied officers against funding district-employed security alternatives. Parents and residents can track how the new security model performs when it takes effect in 2027.