EXCLUSIVE: WA school district forced to hire off-duty cops after removing police and getting increased threats of violence

In April 2021, the Bellevue School District pulled school resource officers (SROs) from the campuses of its middle schools and high schools, which sparked outrage from parents who worried about the safety of their children.

According to emails obtained by The Post Millennial, Puget Sound Executive Services Inc. has been reaching out to off-duty and retired police officers to help secure the campuses. The company’s website says that they are "Washington's #1 Off-Duty Law Enforcement Service Provider for over 20 years!"

In one email, the request for security was in response to a Jan. 7 "…social media threat come through targeting Odle Middle School. Bellevue PD is actively investigating the threat and preliminary information leans toward it being a hoax. However, they would like to contract for off-duty uniformed presence at Odle MS for this school week."

Another email requesting off-duty and retired officers to work security referenced a threat Sammamish High School received in December. "They had a threat to the school in early December which resulted in an arrest. This individual (was) arrested (and) is now out of custody on electronic home detention pending trial. The threat to shoot up the school has caused concern amongst the staff, students, and families, and a uniformed presence would help with security and alleviate some of the fear while the judicial proceedings unfold."

Last month, 18-year-old Isaiah Ahron Foster was arrested in connection to the threats and was charged with felony harassment and felony cyber harassment in a King County court.

According to court documents, Foster is accused of sending a text over Snapchat threatening to bring guns to school and the threat was reported to Bellevue police. The school went into lockout until Foster was arrested by authorities at his home in Seattle.

In June, the Bellevue School District announced its Community Engagement Officer Program to replace its School Resource Officer Program beginning in the fall of 2022. This program was developed in an "ongoing in partnership with district administrators and the Bellevue Police Department," the announcement stated. The new program focused on building relationships with officers as well as their families, district staff, and the community.

The announcement stated that an Advisory Committee was established in October of 2020 to "critically examine the role of law enforcement in our schools," with the district's interim superintendent ultimately choosing to reform the program.

Following a fatal school shooting in nearby Seattle in November, the Bellevue Education Association passed a resolution against the Community Engagement Officer program, saying that with respect to students of color, they wanted to "prioritize placement of counselors, not cops in K-12 schools."

Jill Rock, president of the Bellevue Education Association, said at the time, "There’s definitely a history with students of color feeling a certain way with the presence of officers in school."

Following the death of George Floyd and the riots that rocked Seattle and Bellevue in 2020, the district said in a release that during the 2021 Washington Legislative session, "…in response to the death of individuals at the hands of law enforcement, the Washington State Legislature passed laws requiring changes to SRO Programs in K-12 settings. This included specialized training for assigned officers and a yearly review of any implemented program."