Talks continue about bringing School Resource Officer to Greencastle schools

Wilson said having a car in front of a building and an officer inside the building can serve as a great deterrent to anyone who we may want to do harm.

While threats against Greencastle schools last month were unfounded, they did drive home the need of a school resource officer within the district. 

And, those talks are still continuing, according to city, law enforcement and school board officials. Greencastle assistant police chief and Greencastle Schools school board president Ed Wilson, Greencastle police chief Chris Jones and Greencastle Mayor Lynda Dunbar all confirmed there have been plenty of discussions about what it will take to get an officer inside Greencastle's schools. 

"I have had a conversation with the superintendent about it and Ed and Chris. We were able to present some options to the school and superintendent. I am passionate about it. I think the school resource officer does a lot of things for us and it helps them understand police officers are great guys and gals. They help the students, and it is a great opportunity to make our schools safer. It comes down to financials. The city has put options out there to the superintendent and they need to evaluate what they can and can't do," Dunbar told GIANT fm and The Putnam County Post. 

When he sought appointment back to his seat on the Greencastle School Board, Wilson was vocal about the importance of adding school resource officers in the buildings. Wilson said funding cannot be the reason why there are no school resource officers in the schools. 

"I am not a person willing to stand up in front of the community and let them that I accept that as a reason why we are not having safety and security in the schools. That is why the Chief and I have our officers in the schools anyway even though we haven't come to a point of having an SRO, we don't accept the point that we do not have money for an SRO. We have our officers there to make sure everything is safe and secure until we can figure out who is going to be the person to write these grants or find these grants or get this taken care of," Wilson told GIANT fm. 

Wilson said having a car in front of a building and an officer inside the building can serve as a great deterrent to anyone who we may want to do harm.

"It is very neat to us when we are walking around the schools to see a child that recognizes us from being in the schools. If they are in the gym and I see them playing basketball, I stop and play with them and it's nice to have to a connection with them. We are planting seeds now to make connections when they are future adults. A school resource officer is an officer who is keeping the school safe and secure, but also knowing students, having lunch with them, being seen at football games and we want to make sure we cover both areas that come with a school resource officer," Wilson said. 

Wilson said many school districts have their own police departments now and times have changed when it comes to the perception of an officer being in the schools. 

"We have done a good job of limiting and changing the stigma now. When I started and if we had an officer in the school, everyone was panicked and wondering what was going on. Today, everyone sees us and knows we are there to keep students and staff safe and they don't think another thing about it, which is nice," Wilson said. 

Greencastle Schools is the only district within the county that does not have a designated School Resource Officer. North Putnam uses a partnership with the Bainbridge Police Department, while Cloverdale uses a Cloverdale police officer and the Putnam County Sheriff's Department provides services for South Putnam.