BEDFORD – A contentious Lawrence County Commissioner meeting on Tuesday morning saw two of the three commissioners vote in favor of a memorandum of understanding to hire School Resource Officers (SROs) for the Bedford North Lawrence (BNL) School system, despite strong opposition from one commissioner.
Commissioner President Rodney Fish and Vice President Wally Branham voted in favor of the agreement, while Commissioner Jeff McKnight cast the dissenting vote.
Sheriff Greg Day stood firm on his request to hire the officers, addressing what he called “half-truths” circulating about the proposal. “The proverb ‘prevention is worth an ounce of cure’ means that it is better to take steps to prevent a problem from happening in the first place than to deal with its consequences later,” Sheriff Day asserted. “I don’t want to wait for a problem to happen. The time is now to do something. My number one priority is the safety of our children.”
Under the approved agreement, North Lawrence Community Schools has committed to paying 50 percent of the resource officers’ salaries and benefits annually. Two law enforcement officers will be assigned to the resource officer position, with one designated full-time to BNL High School and the other splitting their time between Needmore Elementary, Dollens Elementary, and Shawswick Elementary. Any school event where the officers work, such as basketball games, will be separately compensated by the school corporation. When school is closed for holidays and summer breaks, the officers will resume their regular duties as patrol officers.
However, Commissioner Jeff McKnight voiced strong opposition, arguing that the school corporation should bear the entire cost of the officers’ salaries. He stated he wasn’t against having a school resource officer in the schools, but “It’s not the county’s responsibility,” McKnight stated, citing the county’s current budget constraints and adding, “We are behind the eight ball here.”
Both McKnight and Council Member Scott Smith, who was in attendance, expressed concern about equity, noting that Mitchell Community Schools and other independent school systems in the county are paying the full salaries and benefits for their respective resource officers.
“We need to be equal with all our taxpayers in the county; we are opening a Pandora’s box here,” McKnight added.
Sheriff Day disagreed with McKnight’s assessment, stating that “nothing has changed from years past.” He highlighted that the school’s contribution of over 50 percent of the officers’ salaries and benefits saves the county money, as officers not assigned to schools would be fully funded by county funds anyway.
The Sheriff underscored the critical need for SROs by referencing a recent incident where a “deranged individual” reportedly went to a Seymour school with the intent to open fire. However, upon spotting a school resource officer’s vehicle, the individual changed plans and opened fire at a public library instead.
“We cannot bury our heads in the sand,” Sheriff Day stressed. “I am not sure why this is an issue. With the retirement of the Bedford Police Officer who was the resource officer, BNL was left without an officer. This is the biggest school in the county… It is my responsibility to keep the students, staff, and public safe, and even without your approval. I am going to keep those kids safe. I am responsible for protecting the schools. I was elected to be Sheriff, and it is my responsibility on how I allocate my officers. I will have an officer at BNL.”
Commissioner President Rodney Fish and Vice President Wally Branham both agreed with the Sheriff’s stance. “Outside of public safety, a resource officer does so much more. The officer can deal one-on-one with students, which is critical,” Fish stated.
Branham concurred, adding, “I have nine great-grandchildren in school, and I don’t want to see an officer not in the schools. It’s important and not something we can overlook.”
