Sheriff Disputes Demise of SRO Program
TROY – Rumors of the demise of the School Resource Officer program are greatly exaggerated, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff.
In an exclusive interview with The Lincoln County Journal, Sheriff Rick Harrell said while he is pursuing “alternative funding” options for the program, he is not considering eliminating it, contrary to a report from a Troy alderman.
Monday evening, Quentin Laws, a Troy Alderman and the county’s emergency management director issued a stern and scary warning to fellow aldermen about the future of SROs.
“One of the things that will be cut is the school resource officers that are assigned to protect our children in the schools that reside inside the city,” Laws said unequivocally, referencing the recent failure of a half-cent sales tax funding the sheriff’s department. “While they will not be pulled this school year, come August, they will not return to those schools.”
Harrell refutes that claim noting, “there are no immediate plans to remove SROs from any schools at this time.”
According to Harrell, there are eight SROs in the county: five in the Lincoln County R-III School District, and one each in Silex, Elsberry, and Winfield.
He says the program has been around for two decades and has been quite successful. He says the program is “about trust, mentorship, and early intervention.”
Cutting the SRO program is “premature” says Lincoln County Commissioner Joseph Kaimann. He says the budget is being looked at and worked on as a whole and to get it to where it is feasible.
Commissioner Matt Bass adds there has been shrinking revenue the last few years in the sheriff’s department and at this point are “looking for a path forward.”
Additionally, Audrey Henebry, Lincoln County R-III District spokesperson, confirmed Superintendent Matthew Frederickson had a conversation with Harrell about SROs in which “it was stated that things would remain status quo at this time.”
Like Harrell, Winfield R-IV School District Superintendent Rod Hamlett sees the value of the SRO program. He says the SRO is in school buildings all day long with students walking around, in the cafeteria at lunch, in the hallways between classes, and if necessary the classrooms. Hamlett notes while their SRO is essential to safety and security, he also takes on other duties including leading after prom.
“The kids know who the SRO is so he’s able to build those relationships through coaching football and track,” Hamlett said. “He has a special relationship with our kids and relationships are everything. That’s a big thing for our school resource officer and our kids.”
Laws’ comments about SROs came as part of an agenda item stating “discuss city of Troy police department assuming responsibility of the Troy R-3 school district resource officers.”
At the meeting, Laws referenced the Sandy Hook shooting and noted $2.1 million in overtime expense for law enforcement as well as other statistics pertaining to schools with a SRO, including significant decreases in fights, motor vehicle accidents, weapons seizures and school shootings.
Also, Laws acknowledged “a big ask” but “a moral imperative” as he requested the alderman consider hiring the resource officers in the county “to have them back in the field in August” with a city cost of $350,000-$400,000 with salary and benefits. Schools currently pay half of salary or $150,000.
Harrell says the failure of Proposition Safe Community was a substantial setback as it was intended to provide “sustainable funding” to services like the SRO program.
“Without that funding, we’re left trying to meet increasing demands with resources that haven’t kept pace.”
While no decisions have yet been made, Harrell says there are ongoing discussions with school districts and municipal leaders to “find alternative ways” to fund the SRO program.
“Everyone involved understands how valuable this program is to our schools and our families. We’re doing everything we can to preserve it, but the truth is, without reliable long-term funding, the future of the program is uncertain,” he said.
