Roanoke, County, Virginia – The Roanoke County Police Department (RCPD) and Sheriff’s Office have been collaborating for several years to maintain school resource officers (SROs) within Roanoke County Public Schools.
RCPD Chief Michael Poindexter indicated, “I would venture to say about 15 years ago, we started with our high schools and middle schools with our SRO program.” Meanwhile, the Sheriff’s Office’s involvement has been more recent.
Sheriff Eric Orange of Roanoke County stated, “We began working with the school system and the County PD late 2016, early 2017 for a plan to introduce some elementary school SRO deputies.”
Over recent years, both departments have secured funding to augment this presence. The RCPD benefited from a grant provided by the Department of Criminal Justice Services, while the Sheriff’s Office received $180,000 from the personnel budget approved by the School Board in June 2022. These funds have been specifically directed towards increasing SRO presence across the county’s 16 elementary schools.
Sheriff Orange elaborated, “We have two full time SRO deputies that serve solely in the elementary schools. And then we have an additional five part time SRO deputies who are currently serving in the elementary schools. And we have one who’s in the hiring process, which would bring us to a total of eight that are represented in the elementary schools.”
Chief Poindexter said, “Since January, we’ve hired five officers and we look to fill the remaining three positions as soon as possible. And we believe we may be getting another grant for another eight officers.”
He further detailed the grant requirements, stating, “One of the requirements for the grant is that the officer have three years experience. This year, DCJS changed that to two years experience. So we’re looking for experienced officers who have worked the road before, so they can meet our requirements.”
Sheriff Orange highlighted the challenges of the recruitment process, saying, “Really just being able to find qualified candidates, in a small pool of candidates, because everybody’s drawing from the same pool, is probably the biggest challenge that we’re facing.”
However, he emphasized that beyond the experience and qualifications, the ability to form connections with students and staff on a daily basis is also of significant importance. He added, “Letting students know that these individuals are there to help, they are public servants who are there to assist you now as students and also as you go throughout life. We want our citizen body to understand that our primary concern and goal is not only their safety, but also the ways in which we can serve them.”
This summer, the primary focus of both departments will be the recruitment process and continued training for the existing members of the SRO force.
