School Safety and Sheriff Department Participation

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Every conversation I have with parents, teachers, and grandparents so far, eventually mentions our kids’ safety at school.

Today, roughly half of America’s public schools have a School Resource Officer (SRO) or similar law-enforcement presence at least once a week. All Geneva County schools currently do. And they do a GREAT JOB. I have heard zero complaints. And for that I truly thank you.

Some research shows that schools with SROs see fewer non-firearm violent incidents like fights and threats. Other studies warn that if SRO programs aren’t designed carefully, they can lead to more student arrests and suspensions without actually making students feel safer.

So what does that mean for us in Geneva County?

We need a true Sheriff/City partnership built on prevention, training, and transparency, working with the strong SRO program we already have, not against it.

As your next Sheriff, here’s how I believe we can do better:.

The U.S. Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security call behavioral threat-assessment teams one of the best tools we have to prevent targeted violence before it happens.

I will push to formalize a countywide team that includes:
• School administrators and counselors
• The Sheriff’s Office and City Police officers
• Mental-health partners, as available

This team’s job will be to:
• Take credible threats seriously
• Share information lawfully and quickly
• Get students help early—before a bad situation turns into a tragedy

SchoolSafety.gov already provides a federal toolkit for this approach, and we’ll use it to make sure Geneva County is following proven best practices, not just guessing.

Most schools now have written plans for natural disasters, bomb threats, and active-shooter situations, and more than 90% report having those plans “on paper.”

But a plan in a binder doesn’t save lives, people who are trained and connected do.

As Sheriff, I will:
• Work with school leaders to see where the Sheriff's Department can help the school’s SRO program and practice emergency plans with city law enforcement.
• Coordinate radio and 9-1-1 communications so dispatch, deputies, school staff, and city officers are on the same page in a crisis.
• Explore simple tools, like emergency alert badges or apps tied directly into 9-1-1, that other districts are already using to shave precious minutes off response times.

When seconds count, communication and coordination should already be in place—not built in the middle of an emergency.

 My goal is to partner with our existing SRO programs and help them perform at their peak through better coordination, better training, and better information-sharing.
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School safety shouldn’t be a slogan we dust off after a tragedy. It should be a daily partnership between families, educators, and law enforcement.

Your thoughts matter to me.

Tell me in the comments: What would you like to see from the Sheriff’s Office when it comes to protecting our kids and our schools (Keeping in mind the City's already provide great SRO programs)?