The Natomas Unified School District will lose its school resource officers in January because of a staffing shortage at the Sacramento Police Department.
A lack of cops has left SPD unable to continue providing NUSD with safety personnel. That has forced NUSD to end a three-year, $2.1 million contract with the department only five months after it began.
SPD currently has three police officers working on NUSD campuses. In January, those officers will be reassigned to patrol.
"Our relationship with the school district remains strong, and patrol officers will continue to respond to and support our schools when needed,” SPD said in a statement. "We’re committed to keeping students and staff safe working in partnership with the school district.”
Law enforcement staffing shortages are a statewide problem. According to the Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC), police staffing in California is at its lowest point in 30 years. Contributing factors include recruitment and retention issues, extensive hiring and training requirements, the rising cost of living, and negative public sentiment towards police, especially since the 2020 killing of George Floyd.