[HenleyMatters] message from Dr. Moran about SRO staffing

[Hashisaki]

Thank you for expressing your support of the current SRO staffing in  
our public schools. The Board and I fully support the SRO program and  
believe that the officers’ work in our schools is essential to  
meeting our expectation that schools be safe places for learning. Our  
officers build relationships with students, assist with crime  
prevention educational programs, and help with student discipline as  
appropriate to their positions.

In the recent budget cycle, the School Board maintained its  
longstanding commitment to funding its share of each school resource  
officer. The School Division annually provides funds along with the  
Police Department to support the SRO program in middle and high  
schools. We believe the SROs are a wise use of our funding resources  
and we share your concerns that our SRO staffing could be reduced  
because of needs within the Police Department. We know that our  
Police Department has had a long-term commitment to placing officers  
in our schools.

Chief Miller of the Police Department has communicated that no  
decisions have been made in reference to reallocating police  
department resources.  The process of assessing issues within the  
Patrol Divisions will probably not be completed until mid-summer--at  
the earliest. He notes that there are a lot of possibilities to be  
assessed and considered, before decisions are reached. The Chief  
notes that current shortages of police “on the street” exist due to  
difficulty in recruiting officers to fill vacancies, the significant  
time for training new officers before they can begin work, long-term  
deployment of military reservists who work for the police force,  and  
job-related injuries which can result in long-term leave for  
officers. Together, these issues create difficulty for the department  
to provide services to a growing community.

If you would like to address your concerns directly to the Chief  
Miller, his email is MILLERJ at mail.albemarle.org

Sincerely,

Pam Moran

  
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