County commissioners approved contracts Thursday between area school districts and the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office for a School Resource Officer in each district. Commissioners split the cost for the officer 50-50 with each of the districts paying a total cost to the county of $436,960 for the 2016 -2017 school year.
Captain Kevin Savage, with the sheriff’s office, told commissioners it’s a continuing partnership with the area school districts to provide a school resource officers.
According to contract between the commissioners and the school districts the primary duty of a School Resource Officer’s is to provide a safe, secure environment, and serve as liaison between school officials and the sheriff’s office.
“We’ve had school resource officers assigned to schools for numerous years,” Savage said. “This is our third 3-year contract we’ve entered into with the schools districts. We’re probably going on 9 or 10 years doing this.”
The sheriff’s office supplies one officer each to Big Walnut Schools, Buckeye Valley Local Schools and the Delaware Area Career Center. Olentangy Local Schools has a contract for five officers.
Cost for each officer is split between the county and the district with each paying $54,620 for the 2016-2017 school year.
- The sheriff’s office also sought permission to use grant money that had been award for the purchase of a vehicle.
“This is a vehicle that our drug task-force has asked for out of a grant we applied for,” Savage said. “And will be used for undercover operations.”
- Commissioners approved the purchase of a 2016 Ford Fusion Van at the cost of $17,873 through the state’s cooperative purchasing program for the sheriff’s office.
Scott Vance, with the sheriff’s office, said the vehicle is to replace a 2001 Chevy Impala that was deemed unsafe and turned it into the service center.