June 07--MOULTON -- Without a law enforcement officer at every school, the Lawrence County Board of Education could leave itself vulnerable in the event of a shooting or other violent event, said Sgt. Charles Hamby, a resource officer at schools in the county.
"That's what lawyers have been capitalizing on: that the courts would find the schools negligent for the fact that they didn't have an officer there," he said.
Hamby and Chief Deputy Harold Knighten of the Lawrence County Sheriff's Department are asking the board and County Commission to each pay the salary of another school resource officer so each of Lawrence's four high schools can have full-time SROs.
The salaries of the two current SROs are paid by the school board, while the Sheriff's Department pays all other expenses. Superintendent Heath Grimes said the school board would consider the request when it discusses its annual budget this summer.
"We definitely want to add one, especially if the County Commission would add the other one," he said. "But with limited funds from the state, we just don't know if that's going to be possible."
The board now pays $66,000 annually for its two SROs.
Hamby said the typical day for an SRO involves addressing safety issues, talking with students and sitting in on parent conferences.
"We interact with the kids as much as the teachers do," he said.
During the past school year, SROs filed 52 criminal charges, including drug possession, drug distribution, harassment and assault.
Lawrence County Schools had three SROs until about two years ago, when one left and wasn't replaced. Knighten said increased officer presence has a greater impact on crime in schools.
"It's the same kind of idea that if you've got a patrol car sitting in front of the bank, nobody is going to try to rob that bank," he said.
Morgan County schools have SROs stationed at Brewer and Danville schools -- the only county schools that aren't in incorporated areas with police departments, Superintendent Bill Hopkins Jr. said.
Though not at schools daily, officers are involved in school activities, Hopkins said.
"Safety is always a concern," he said. "We feel that our faculty and staff do a great job of trying to monitor the students and keep abreast of any situation that might come about."
Limestone County has had an SRO at each of its six high schools and technical school for at least 15 years, Sheriff Mike Blakely said.
The $483,000 budget is paid by the county Board of Education and County Commission.
"They are a great resource," the sheriff said. "They are involved in helping monitor at-risk kids that may have gotten in trouble in juvenile court, and they help monitor truancy."
Another advantage is immediately having an officer in place for traffic problems or other incidents, which keeps the department from having to send a patrol car to the school, Blakely said.
Dwight Satterfield, Decatur City Schools safety and alternative programs coordinator, said it has five SROs assigned to secondary schools who also spend time at elementary schools. A supervisor assists with truancy and home verification.
Decatur City Schools pays the city $235,000 for the officers, and the city pays for a sergeant.
Copyright 2012 - The Decatur Daily, Ala.
