Access Project asks Lynnwood council to back pilot of reimagined SRO program

Wally Webster, president of the Access Project, urged the Lynnwood City Council to consider a one-year pilot that would reinstate a reimagined School Resource Officer (SRO) program at selected schools while pairing officers with counselors and community supports.

"We just can't keep talking about it," Webster said, describing the group's three core programs: a cops-versus-youth sports initiative to build relationships, a peer-mediation program taught in district high schools, and a police-referral pathway (a QR code/hyperlink system) that lets officers refer youth directly to the Access Project for warm handoffs to services.

The Access Project said it is not requesting city budget dollars for the pilot. Webster noted the organization's early funders, including the Community Foundation of Snohomish County and the White Horse Foundation, and said the group struggles to fund core infrastructure (a project director and administrative support) while program grants cover direct services.

Marie McCoy, a licensed clinical social worker who said she lives in the Meadowdale neighborhood, described the mental-health and behavioral needs she's encountered and argued the two roles (counselors and SROs) serve distinct but complementary purposes. "We have to keep that therapeutic relationship," McCoy said, adding that trained SROs can help deescalate situations while counselors remain confidential except for mandated-reporting obligations.

Webster presented raw counts he said were gathered with local law enforcement: cases reported in the police district rose from 49 to 91 (an 85% increase), calls for service rose from 373 to 437 (about 17%), and arrests rose from 7 to 14 (100%). He said those increases followed the school district's termination of its prior SRO program and called for a data-informed pilot and student input in designing a new approach.

Council members praised the Access Project's peer-mediation and prevention work but pressed Webster and McCoy on causation and equity. Council Vice President Escamilla asked whether the Access Project had data that showed absence of SROs caused the increases rather than reflecting broader post-pandemic trends; Webster acknowledged root causes are complex and said the group's analysis compared before-and-after call and charge data but does not purport to prove singular causation.

Several councilors raised equity concerns about piloting in one school but not another. Escamilla and others said Lynnwood High School students also deserve consideration; Coelho said the proposal should include clear evaluation measures, student and parent input, and a one-year review.

The Lynnwood Police Department has offered to assign one officer for a pilot at no added cost to the city, several councilors said, and Webster said he hopes the Edmonds School District will consider the proposal at upcoming public comment and at its August board meeting.

What happens next: Council members asked staff and the Access Project to continue community engagement and to return with clearer pilot boundaries, evaluation metrics and any budgetary implications. The school board was expected to hear public comment on the proposal the next day and the Access Project aimed for a September start if the district and partners agree.