Polk County Schools should have noticed there are two school resource officers (SROs) now interacting with students.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office hired SROs Jesse Smith and Ashley Cromer to be floating officers at all six schools and the Polk County Early College.
The officers were hired a couple of weeks ago with both school and sheriff’s office officials saying the program is working out well.
“The program is going really well,” said Polk County School Supt. Bill Miller. “Principals are excited to have them. They are getting to know the buildings and meeting everyone and I’m sure it will evolve over time.”
The sheriff’s office created an interview committee, including three school employees to choose the officers. Both SROs were previously employed by the sheriff’s office with Cromer serving as a reserve officer and Smith as a bailiff.
Chief deputy Mike Wheeler said the resource officers are working out great so far and it’s a great way to bring education to the schools.
“They are in every school every day, including the early college,” said Wheeler. “They are working really closely with the schools and finding out what each school will need.”
Wheeler also said the officers are scheduled to be introduced at the Polk County School Board meeting next Monday, Feb. 10.
Miller said he couldn’t be more pleased with Wheeler and the officers, who are “bending over backwards to make sure it’s successful.”
“And the hiring process, we were allowed to participate and we really appreciate that,” Miller said.
Miller added that a contract between the school system and county has been worked out with attorneys and he thinks everything is full speed ahead.
The Polk County Board of Commissioners approved funding for the officers on Feb. 3 as well as a budget amendment to take $31,852 from fund balance to pay for the officers from Feb. 4 through the end of the fiscal year.
The hiring of the officers is part of a school security task force the county formed following the Dec. 14, 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
The task force recommended several measures be taken to improve safety at Polk schools, including adding two resource officers at the schools of Polk Central, Saluda, Sunny View and Tryon, the middle school, high school and early college.
The officers will be employees of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and funded through the county and a $28,000 grant the school system was awarded last year.
Commissioners plan to discuss funding for other school security recommendations during workshops for the upcoming fiscal year 2014-2015 budget. Commissioners have specifically mentioned wanting to fund video cameras at all schools, estimated at $143,000 with the school system agreeing to fund $100,000 of the total and central monitoring of the cameras estimated at $10,000, which the county plans to fund.
The school system has also applied for a grant to install panic alarms, estimated at $14,000.