SEQUIM — The Sequim Police Department will choose a new school resource officer to patrol the public school campuses in the wake of the suspension of Officer Darrell Nelson, Sequim Police Lt. Sheri Crain said on Wednesday.
“A short time ago, [Nelson] was placed on administrative leave,” Crain wrote in a memo to all police staff on Monday.
“In order to prevent any unnecessary speculation, let me be clear that Officer Nelson’s leave has nothing to do with his job performance in the schools.”
Nelson, a patrol officer on the Sequim force since March 2005, became the Sequim School District resource officer in 2007.
His administrative leave “is strictly related to an internal policy violation,” Crain wrote.
Crain, who is acting chief while Sequim Police Chief Bob Spinks recovers from major surgery, declined to give details about why Nelson was put on leave.
“I am limited in what I can provide regarding personnel/discipline/active internal issues,” Crain wrote in an e-mail to the Peninsula Daily News.
Spinks, who had surgery Dec. 2 to remove a noncancerous tumor near his brain, plans to come back to work at least part-time on Monday.
He said last week that he’ll review Crain’s investigation and cover memorandum on the two incidents, and decide whether to take disciplinary action.
Meantime, the Police Department has a contract with the Sequim School District, which funds part of the school resource officer’s salary and equipment.
Of the $87,300 in pay, benefits, uniform, police vehicle and computer gear, the school district provides $42,828.
“Since it is unlikely that Officer Nelson’s leave status will be concluded immediately, it is necessary for us to proceed with our day-to-day business operation,” Crain wrote in her memo.
“Given that the school year is half completed and the school district has contracted for services, we will temporarily be reassigning the SRO position.”
No one named yet
By Wednesday, no one had been named to replace Nelson.
Sequim School District Superintendent Bill Bentley said that he has not heard about a replacement.
He said that a resource officer was beneficial to the district, “so we are disappointed that there may be a period of time where we might not have the officer available.”
The Sequim Police Department established the school resource officer position in 2005 with a $125,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The resource officer’s duties with some 2,500 students in Sequim’s five public schools include mentoring, fostering relationships with young people and their teachers and acting as first responder to criminal incidents.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-681-2391 or diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
