Joseph Calsadillas

Chino police officer standing outside of his working vehicle with the passenger side door slightly ajar.

As students settle in on campuses across the Chino Valley Unified School District, new faces and stricter rules are reshaping the role of school resource officers.

The changes come following criminal charges filed in July against former Chino Police Officer Matthew Solano, who served at Magnolia and Ramona Junior High schools. Solano faces allegations of “Lewd and Lascivious Conduct with a Child“ and a misdemeanor count of “Child Annoyance” involving two students, sparking concern among parents and district officials.

In response, city councils in both cities, Chino and Chino Hills, voted this summer to renew contracts for school resource officers with news measures written into policy. The City of Chino approved a 1.08 million dollar agreement for five officers. The City of Chino Hills approved a $1.17 million agreement for three deputies.

Two of Chino’s five officers are to replace personnel removed from school campuses, Officer Kaylee Henriquez now serves as the DARE/Resource Officer for Magnolia and Ramona Junior High School. Officer Victoria Esquivel joins as the dedicated School Resource Officer for the same schools.

Final appointments will be made directly by the chief to ensure greater check before officers are placed in schools. Chino Police Chief Kevin Mensen outlined several new measures such as: No more closed-door meeting, body cameras required, search limits, and more to come. “We’re not just protecting students from threats outside the classroom. We’re protecting them from vulnerabilities inside it, too.” says Chief Mensen of the Chino Police Department.