County agrees to pilot program for schools officer

The Bartholomew County Council last night signed off on a plan to provide a sheriff's deputy as a school resource officer in Flat Rock-Hawcreek schools, but with some limitations. 

The council voted 5-2 to approve the position as outlined in next year's budget. But that comes with $45,000 of the cost of the deputy contributed from the school district next year. The position would be approved as a one-year pilot program with the idea that the school and community would come up with more of the funding in future years. And the sheriff's department will be evaluating the position every 90 days to see if it meets the needs of the department and the schools. 

The council took the vote to solidify and express their understanding of how the arrangement between the schools and sheriff's department would work. Council President Mark Gorbett, a former sheriff himself, said that ultimately the decision is up to the sheriff as he can assign deputies to whatever role and location that he would like.

Although already included in next year's county budget, set to be voted on next month, Councilman Matt Miller said he had concerns with the plan as originally outlined. He said he believed providing the funding for the deputy in the Hope-area schools would open the doors to the county providing such an officer to every school that asks. He suggested White Creek Lutheran School as an example of a school that could ask for a deputy, unless the council set guidelines now. 

That led Miller to vote against the plan supported by the sheriff and the majority of the council.

Councilman Bill Lentz also objected to the plan. He said he had been approached by an unnamed member of the Hope Town Council who wanted the town police to provide the school resources officer, rather than the county sheriff. 

Lentz said he was voting against the plan because he wanted more negotiations with the town of Hope to provide the officer, or to provide the funding for the sheriff's deputy.

FRHC Board president Pat Walters and Superintendent Shawn Price have said that the school district would provide about $45,000 of funding for the school resource officer, with about $29,000 coming from a grant. The rest of the funding, including equipment, training and a police car would be paid by the sheriff's department at an estimated cost of more than $30,000.

Sheriff Matt Myers said he agreed with the council's decision and that their measure matched his understanding of the program. The sheriff's department is working now with the school corporation to draft a memorandum of understanding that would legally outline the agreement. 

Realistically, Myers said that the schools would not have a resource officer until the middle of next year. He said that legally he can't even advertise for the position until the County Council approves its 2019 budget next month. Allowing for a few months to find the right candidate would push the hiring to next year, but getting an untrained deputy through the police academy and training for the school position would likely mean a mid-year availability at best, Myers said. 

Further complicating that timeline is a reduction in openings at the state police academy, said Chief Deputy Chris Lane. 

Sheriff Myers is asking for two school resource officers in next year's budget. The second position would be assigned to Bartholomew Consolidated Schools and would work at the schools that are in the district but outside of the city of Columbus. Columbus already provides two officers to the city schools.