Program to be implemented in the 12 elementary schools in unincorporated Sarasota County
On March 27, Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight announced that the Sheriff’s Office is seeking 14 candidates to provide campus security to 12 elementary schools in Sarasota County.
The program comes a little more than a month after the mass shooting in Parkland that killed 17 students and teachers, a news release noted. “Only days after the shooting, Sheriff Knight publicly announced his suggestion of implementing a quasi-school security and marshal program that placed retired law enforcement and military personnel on school campuses,” the release adds.
Knight and his staff continued to offer solutions to leaders of the Sarasota County Schools, who decided on March 22 to implement the school resource deputy II program in partnership with the Sheriff’s Office.
“The new School Resource Deputy II position will be responsible for ensuring the safety, security, and welfare of all students, faculty, staff, and visitors in the assigned school,” the release explains. “The deputy will patrol the assigned areas of the school building, grounds, and parking lots to deter, detect, report and stop criminal activity,” the release adds. The deputy also will be required to participate on the Threat Assessment Team and attend after-school events as needed, the release notes. People in the position will only work 10 months out of the year, based on the school district’s calendar, the release notes.
“It has been our goal from day one to identify a practical and cost-effective solution for the school district,” said Knight in the release. “After ample research and internal review, we put together a program that is not only compliant with the new [state] law, but will stand to benefit the district and its students, while appealing to law enforcement-certified career seekers looking to give back to this community. The School Resource Deputy II Program is really a win-win for everyone,” Knight added in the release.
Interested candidates may learn more by following this link. The position will remain advertised until all 14 slots are filled, the release points out.