PCSO hiring school resource officers as schools receive state money

Derrick James, McAlester News-Capital, Okla.
·2 min read

Sep. 2—Pittsburg County Sheriff Chris Morris said his agency is actively hiring school resource officers for the county's rural schools as additional state funds for security makes it way to districts across the state.

An Aug. 21 social media post from Morris states the SRO would be assigned to a rural Pittsburg County school from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday with weekends and holidays off when school is in session. Applicants must be certified through the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training with pay ranging from $21 to $35 an hour.

"They have to be a full-time certified officer working for a law enforcement agency," Morris said. "So, I would have to hire them under me and assign them to the school."

The sheriff said he hoped the offer would be an attractive gig for officers who have recently retired or were looking for a change of pace, but has only received one fully qualified applicant.

"The problem is nobody wants to be police officers anymore," Morris said. "I'm shorthanded. McAlester PD is shorthanded. We can't cover the streets, much less sending anybody down to the schools."

The topic of school security came back into the spotlight this week after an Aug. 25 deadly shooting at a football game between Choctaw and Del City High Schools that left a 16-year-old student dead and two others wounded. Two other incidents involving a gun were reported at football games in Tulsa and Locust Grove.

Bomb threats have also been called into schools in Broken Bow and Tulsa since the new school year started with one threat reportedly saying every school in the state was not safe.

"Recent events once again reveal the level of awareness we must have for our safety," said McAlester Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Steeber.

Steeber said his district is using state funds to employ a security coordinator along with two SROs. He said the number of officers at school events varies by event and availability.

More than $150 million was allocated by the state legislature this year for a three-year pilot program to increase school security for districts across the state. For each year of the program, each public school district in the state will receive approximately $96,000.

Along with having as many available officers as possible, MPS has also implemented stricter guidelines for those attending athletic events including clear bags and ID requirements for students. Hartshorne Public Schools also announced this week similar measures.

For the smaller schools, Morris said he will continue to keep his deputies near school zones and events as much as he can.

"But it's just tough," Morris said.