Resourceful training

Playing host to 23 officers from Indiana and Michigan, Jay County Sheriff’s Office looked to improve its school resource officers, as well as become eligible for grant funding, through a week-long basic training course.
The officers spent 40 hours in classes from the National Association of School Resource Officers this week, learning the differences between dealing with a juvenile in a school setting and a person on the street, both psychologically and legally.
“This is a very good course because, like I say, it’s teaching the officer what a school resource officer does, and it’s not just walking around and patrolling and that,” said Sheriff Ray Newton. “It’s interacting with the kids, so this is one reason why we decided to host the class here. I think it’s going to benefit not just the kids, it’s going to benefit the school corporation and also the parents.”
The course covered issues such as interaction with students, warning signs for depression and suicide and the legal ramifications of search and seizures and interrogation.
Jay County offered to host the program as a way to save money while educating its deputies, as the department is allowed free tuition for a limited amount of officers in exchange for its hospitality. And at a savings of $500 an officer, it was an offer Newton says allows funds to be saved for future purchases.
Sergeant Ben Schwartz, who is in charge of the county’s SRO detail, sees confidence grow after officers go through the training.
“It helps the officer to realize the difference in dealing with juveniles in the high school versus out on the road,” said Schwartz. “As you go in as a patrolman, you’re kind of timid to talk to some of the kids. When you go through training, it teaches you how to approach the kids. … (Basic training) stressed you’re a resource, not just a cop. You’re not there to get them in trouble.”
The class heard from local officials, including Jay County Prosecutor Wes Schemenaur and representatives from Jay Schools.
The legal training the officers receive make Schemenaur’s job easier, he said, and further solidify the connection between the SRO, the school and the courts by making sure the SRO legally collects evidence that will be admissible if needed in court.
“Locally, anecdotally, I can say that I think we’ve had more success in … prosecutions of juveniles that need it, and we’ve been better at sorting those out that don’t because of that good relationship,” said Schemenaur. “At least here locally, I think there’s been a benefit of when we work together … we find those individuals that are appropriate for prosecution and those who are appropriate for school discipline.”
Currently, the school corporation uses a rotation of five deputies to patrol Jay County High School, Bloomfield Elementary and Pennville Elementary. Three officers completed training in December at a course in Carmel, and two went through this week’s course.
While the high school is watched over during its lunch periods and continually throughout the school day, Bloomfield and Pennville are visited sporadically with officers walking through the buildings and talking with administrators. Since the two elementary schools don’t have law enforcement in close proximity, officers see it as prudent to check on the two areas each day.
The ability to have five different officers working with the students is a benefit for the schools, said Jay County High School Dean of Students Chad Dodd, even decreasing the amount of incidents the school has had over the past years.
“Our referrals for violent activities have been cut in half since the officers have started coming out on a daily basis. … I went back and looked at that data … and it was exactly 50 percent,” said Dodd. “We have five different types of people to give our kids a connection. … Having the variety might give them the opportunity to find someone they can connect with and be more willing to talk to and open up with. For us, that’s one of the larger advantages.”
Principal Phil Ford agrees.
“As a group, those five have all meshed well with our kids. They’re all different in personality, but they’re kid-oriented and it’s not a heavy-handed presence,” said Ford.
“It’s been more positive than I anticipated it to be even. … It’s worked out, I think, exceptionally well.”
As both the county sheriff and as a parent of a high school student, Newton values the work that officers put into training and patrolling.
“It’s a very good school. We’re learning a lot, and I think it’s going to make us be a better officer when we’re out there at the school,” said Newton. “I can say being a parent of a high school student, I feel very comfortable that there is someone out there watching over these kids. That’s something I don’t have to worry, at least the high school, that something’s going to happen.”[[In-content Ad]]