Photo courtesy of Etowah County Sheriff’s Office: School Resource Officers with the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office gather for a photo.
By Kaitlin Hoskins, News Editor
Sheriff Jonathon Horton recently recognized the School Resource Officers at the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office.
The Etowah County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Division is staffed by deputies who are assigned full-time to Etowah County Schools. This division consists of 14 deputies with one being a supervisor. Deputies in this division are specially trained and equipped to work in a school environment. Deputies receive 144 hours of additional job specific training once they become a School Resource Officer. In addition to the School Resource Officer specific training they also receive a minimum of 26 hours of continuing education each year to equip them to keep up to date with new trends and laws.
“Our School Resource Officers are proud to protect and serve the most valuable asset we have, children,” Horton said in a statement.
School Resource Officers assist with school traffic, conduct routine safety checks, periodic safety drills, teach classes and intervene and make referrals for at-risk youth.
The sheriff’s office partners with the Etowah County Commission, the Etowah County Board of Education and the cities of Rainbow City, Southside, Hokes Bluff, Altoona and a private donor to maintain a safe environment in local schools.