Former patrol officer with the Cheney Police Department Dane Gilman has taken on a new role this year, filling the position of school resource officer at Cheney High School.
Retired Sgt. Kelly Hembach has been the school’s SRO for several years, but moved to help the district in a greater capacity as director of security in December 2017, managing security for multiple schools and leaving the high school without a full-time officer.
For years, the Cheney Police Department and the Cheney School District have had a relationship, with the police department providing an SRO for the high school, Cheney Police Chief John Hensley said.
As time went on, the SRO’s workload increased to the point that they needed help, and the most efficient way to do that was to hire a part-time SRO, Hensley said.
“Frankly, they need to have somebody there full-time to act as a liaison, to give advice on law enforcement and to get to know the students,” Hensley said.
While Hembach works for the district, Gilman works for the police department directly and is stationed at the high school full-time. He will be working eight hours per day Monday through Friday and will also be available for special events, if additional security is needed at other schools or if Hembach needs any kind of assistance.
The SRO position is classified as “part-time” since it is only during the school year, and Gilman will only be paid for his work during the year, Hensley said.
Gilman and Hembach are both technically retired from the force and are allowed to do part-time work in retirement.
The police department will continue to provide for public safety within the Cheney district, and this new position is an extension of that, Hensley said.
Shannen Talbot can be reached at shannen@cheneyfreepress.com.
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