Looking to keep the final SRO

The School Resource Officer program is up in the air once again. Dwindled down to one SRO - Sanders County Deputy Chris McGuigan - last year after a levy to continue both slots was defeated by county voters, the Sanders County Sheriff's Office is one again looking for support from the schools to keep that one SRO.

School representatives met with Sheriff Gene Arnold and some of his staff Thursday afternoon at Plains High School in an effort to determine whether or not the schools would continue their financial support of the program for next year. Officials from Trout Creek, Plains, Hot Springs, and Dixon schools told Undersheriff Rube Wrightsman that they will commit to pitching in funds in support of the SRO program. Noxon Superintendent Jackie Branum gave her support for $6,000 over the speaker phone at Plains School. The three representatives from Spring Creek Lodge Academy, a private school about 15 miles northwest of Thompson Falls on Blue Slide Road, said they support the program, but would have to address it to the school board. Patty Witt, director at Spring Creek, said they could hold a special board session to address the situation. Spring Creek has in the past has committed $15,000 per year.

When the SRO program was first initiated in 2004, Spring Creek contributed $45,000 for three years. “The program wouldn't have even got off the ground if not for Spring Creek,” said Richard Magera, superintendent for Plains School and a supporter of SROs in the schools.

The program began with Deputies Mark Soderlind and Shawna Chenoweth four years ago, but in March 2004, McGuigan replaced Soderlind, who went back on patrol. Chenoweth primarily took care of the west end schools while McGuigan handled from Plains to Hot Springs to Dixon. The SROs took care of 11 elementary, middle and high schools in the county.

The program began with the Cops In Schools four-year grant, authored by Donna Neal, the office administrator at the sheriff's department. The goal of the program was to curtail bad behavior and maintain a safe educational environment for students. The grant paid for the deputies' salaries for three years; Spring Creek took care of the fourth year.

However, the vote to continue paying for the program was 2,264 against it and 1,317 for it, according to the Clerk and Recorders Office in Thompson Falls. Only in Dixon, where the vote was 52-50, did the community favor the $116,000 levy. Although Arnold was disappointed that the levy failed to pass, he came up with a plan to continue with one SRO that would be partially funded by his department and partly by the schools. McGuigan's time ends this spring.

The purpose of the meeting Thursday was to find out if the schools were still interested in having an officer. Witt said she would let the sheriff's office know as soon as possible what their board decided.

Wrightsman cited a letter from Sam Stockett, the deputy juvenile probation officer in Sanders County, which stated that he believed the SRO program was a key tool as a probation officer in managing his caseload. Stockett believes that the presence of McGuigan as an SRO was helping to keep kids from “entering the juvenile justice system.”

The undersheriff said that while there's probably no way to statistically measure that any drop in juvenile delinquent cases was directly related to the SRO program, he believes there is a connection.

McGuigan said there are a lot of benefits to the SRO program. He said that a deputy has more one-on-one time with students, who get to know that a law enforcement officer not the bad guy. In addition, problems could be solved faster because the officer is on scene. The SRO is also a deterrent. Arnold said the SROs' presence at the schools have had an impact on discipline.

“It's been very successful and is a worthwhile program,” said Arnold. “It's unfortunate that the outside community didn't understand the importance of the position when it came up for levy,” added Arnold.

McGuigan said that crime at the schools has dropped since the SRO program was established. In the first year he and Chenoweth began, they had more than 200 cases and handed out 115 tickets. Presently he said the number is around 40, said McGuigan, who's been with the sheriff's department for over 20 years.

“It's proven to be effective and we knew it would,” said Arnold, who added that he appreciates the school's support. “We know it's difficult for them to come up with the money, too.”

Magera noted that it cost the taxpayers $4,000 to $5,000 to put a student through a year of school, but it's about $30,000 for the same taxpayers to pay for a juvenile in Pine Hills Reform School. “And if they go to the graduate school at Deer Lodge, it's about $60,000,” said Magera.

McGuigan feels that the SRO is a role model for youth and helping to keep a teenager out of trouble now most likely will mold him or her into a better adult citizen. McGuigan also teaches classes and routinely gives presentations on drugs and alcohol abuse, safety issues and is there in the event a student just needed someone to talk with.

The schools chip in funds based on the number of students. Paradise, which didn't have a representative at the meeting, with 34 students, had previously committed to $957, while Magera, who has a student body of 455, said he would commit to $6,200. Camas Prairie, which has only three students this year, was to pitch in $91.

With the schools' support, Arnold plans to try and get enough in his annual budget to keep the SRO program alive. Meanwhile, he said Neal continuously looks for grants to help pay the way.