Troy schools to get resource officer

A new resource officer will soon walk the beat at Troy Public Schools.

On Aug. 6, Troy City Council approved a memorandum of agreement between the city and school district to employ the officer for the next four years.

Under the agreement, the officer will be employed full-time by the police department with half of their 40 hours per week spent at Morrison Elementary and Troy High School. The district may be allowed to “flex” these hours to accommodate their needs, provided the schedule is approved by the police chief.

The duties of the officer as outlined in the agreement include preventing and responding to emergency situations on campus, handling trespassers and fostering a cooperative relationship between schools and the police.

In addition to the law enforcement role, the officer also will act as a counselor, educator and chaperone.

During the Aug. 6 meeting, Mayor Dallas Carr said Sgt. Henry Roy would most likely serve as the resource officer. This formal shift in Roy’s duties will be possible as the department is planning to bring on a fourth police officer.

A grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, approved by the councilors on July 15, offered the city nearly $190,000 to hire a new officer for three years of a four-year contract. The officer will be employed for a fourth year at no cost to the city as the school district agreed to pay $15,000 between 2020 and 2024. District officials also will fundraise with the city to help cover costs.

Troy police officials may be able to extend the new officer’s tenure by reapplying for the Justice Department grant.

“I wouldn’t see why we wouldn’t get it, especially if we show just cause that it was needed,” Roy told the councilors on July 15. “There are agencies that have actually retired officers on this grant.”

With a strengthened workforce, the department will be able to alleviate the strain on officers’ schedules. According to Roy, each officer currently has to fill in for 48 hours straight when one member of the force takes a vacation. Chief of Police Katie Davis pointed out that her officers will also have more time to focus on “area issues” like drunk driving and drug use with the fourth officer.

Carr said he believes bringing on the fourth officer so the department can cover schools will have a positive influence on students.

“There are towns, bigger cities more than smaller ones, that… are getting rid of [school resource officers] because they feel it’s intimidating,” Carr said Aug. 6. “In our small communities… we don’t work that way. These guys are looked up to.”