Keeping schools, students safe: Digging deeper into the School Resource Officer program in Shelby County

After an increase in the number of school shooting incidents over the past two decades, Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego knew it was time to make schools in Shelby County safer.

Samaniego, who has been in office since 2015, said the School Resource Officer program was part of his original campaign platform.

“When I ran for sheriff, I pledged that every school in Shelby County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction would be covered,” he said. “After being fortunate enough to get elected, we placed one deputy in every school.”

Over the years, the SRO program has evolved from having only a handful of officers in schools throughout Shelby County to a current department of 15 covering 12 schools in the Oak Mountain and Chelsea zones, along with Wilsonville and Shelby elementary schools.

Samaniego said the geographic footprint of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, prohibited the school’s SRO from getting to the shooter during a 2018 mass shooting on campus. Following that incident, additional deputies were added at Oak Mountain High School and Chelsea High School.

As time passed and similar events happened, Samaniego said it became necessary to create a supervisor for the program. Sgt. Jud Barnes was chosen to fill that role in December 2018.

Prior to that, Barnes worked in patrol, canine, narcotics and was also sworn in the Federal Task Force for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. While at the DEA, he was promoted to sergeant before becoming an SRO and eventual supervisor. Barnes was recently promoted SRO lieutenant and the entire canine unit commander and the TRU (SWAT) team commander.

With his promotion in November, Sgt. Debbie Summerall was added as an additional sergeant to assist with SRO duties. Summerall previously served in administrative public affairs and night shift patrol.

Barnes said when SROs were initially placed in schools, they were just a nameless person standing guard to keep the students safe; however, their role has since changed.

“In the last nine years, they have evolved into a part of the faculty, even having their photos in the school yearbook,” Barnes said. “They are an integral part of the school and also a resource for the administration and faculty.”

When situations arise, the SROs can provide law enforcement advice or guidance. They also work closely with Compact for drug problems that might not be appropriate to take enforcement action, but as more of an intervention to head off the possibility of them going into juvenile and getting into the system for the rest of their lives.

“The SRO, Compact and school administration all have this symbiosis of cooperation, and it works extremely well,” Barnes said. “I talk to the [Shelby County Schools] Central Office at least two times a week. We work together to solve problems for the ultimate goal to keep the kids and people safe.”

What it takes

Barnes said being an SRO is not for every deputy. It’s a slower pace than the other roles in the department, and they obviously have to like kids.

“They have to immerse themselves inside the school, get to know the kids and family dynamics issues and what their hobbies are,” he said. “We know who those folks are who are able to do that. They are the more experienced deputies who know the community a little bit better, know the workings of DHR and have to be a gentle soul. They're not disciplinarians but are there to keep kids safe, be an informal counselor, educator and teach classes about safety.”

When someone wants to become an SRO, they submit a letter of interest. Then, Barnes and the command staff review the letters and set up assessments and candidate interviews. Applicants are narrowed down through that process, and then the best candidate is chosen.

For training, deputies attend basic SRO school for a five-day training — either in Alabama or another location in the Southeast — followed by a three-day advanced SRO course. It is required for them to attend both training sessions within a year of becoming an SRO.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has an instructor fully accredited by the National Association of School Resource Officers. David Morrow, who is the SRO at Oak Mountain Intermediate School, often teaches the courses.

Two new SROs began working at Oak Mountain MIddle School and Oak Mountain High School after Thanksgiving. Because there are no SRO classes offered until spring break, Morrow worked with them for a week-long unofficial training to give them an outline of the basics of being an SRO so they can be operational in those schools until they become certified.

A typical day

The SROs begin their days clocking in at their schools by 7 a.m. Their first job is to check the exterior of the schools and to check for suspicious vehicles. Around 7:15 a.m., they begin directing school traffic to keep everyone safe.

Barnes said one of the biggest problems is parents being on their phones while driving through the school zone. He said he writes plenty of tickets for that offense.

After morning carpool, the SRO will meet with their administrators, principals and assistant principals to see if there are any issues, as sometimes things happen first thing in the morning.

Next is a security check to make sure all the exterior doors are locked. Exterior door checks and security checks take place periodically throughout the day.

“I’ve taught our SROs not to be predictable,” Barnes said. “They don’t do the same routine every single day. I teach them to not have any kind of schedule.”

Other duties include answering calls for service, giving advice or talking to troubled students, speaking at assemblies and teaching classes to faculty and students.

Barnes said many times the students request to talk to the SROs because of the relationships they have formed.

Ten out of the 15 SROs have been certified as a nationally accredited NASRO practitioner, which is the highest level of training that an SRO can receive. Several are military members, including three in the National Guard: Willie Sistrunk (OMMS), Damon Bone (CPES) and Carnel Buford (MLES).

Former military members include Barnes, who is a former captain in the National Guard with a military police company; Gary Goza (U.S. Army); former OMMS SRO Tommy Maddox, (U.S. Marine Corp.); and former Chelsea High School SRO Brian Duval (U.S. Army).

Samaniego said the school safety aspect is one of the primary reasons for the program, but it also provides serious interaction with students and faculty that allows them to identify children at risk and make proper referrals to Compact and other social services.

“Overall, SROs help the children in developing relationships with deputies for many reasons. SROs’ initiative formed Camp Journey for rising sixth graders to teach them how important decision making is at that age. This has been in place now for going on five years and has a proven success.”

Barnes said there's a common misconception about cops in the school.

“We are not there just to break up fights or arrest people. We are there to help out to be a resource to protect and to help. They are very much a part of the school and the community.”