WILMINGTON — New Hanover County children said goodbye to summer last week and headed back to school.
And so, too, did a group of law enforcement officers whose purpose is to provide peace and security on campus, as well as serving as mentors and role models.
The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office provides 23 School Resource Officers (SRO) to county schools. Over the summer, the SROs divided their time between their regular patrol duties and attending training sessions. During the school year, the deputies deal with a range of campus problems from drugs to cyber-bullying, as well as maintaining the safety of all children and faculty on campus.
“Most officers that work in the SRO program love it,” said sheriff’s Sgt. J.J. Brewer. “They are in the program because they love working with the children. Some have been in the program for over a decade.”
SROs lead the Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T) program, and this year, they will be inviting families to join the children in their education to help guide them away from becoming involved in gangs and gang-related activities, Brewer said.
In addition to the SROs provided by the sheriff’s office, the Wilmington Police Department also provides a handful of officers to school campuses. The city will provide four sworn officers this year.
“Our presence is limited but it does provide aid (to the SROs from the sheriff’s office),” said Wilmington police detective Kevin Smith.
Each SRO is a trained officer of the sheriff’s department. The positions are filled on an as-needed basis and officers may opt to be in the positions by submitting a request form.
Brewer said the SRO program is a comfort to parents.
“As a parent, you want the SRO there. It cuts down on [officer] response time immensely,” he said.
Smith added that having officers on campus helps create a better learning environment for children, as well as assistance to staff and faculty.
The SROs even provide career inspiration for some students. Smith said he knows of one former New Hanover County high school student who worked closely with Wilmington police officers at school and later joined the force after graduating.
“Some of these students may be the next generation of officers on board,” Smith said. “To the kids, it’s a calming presence to have those authority figures in the schools.”
