By Betsy Finklea
Dillon County Sheriff Douglas Pernell appeared before the Dillon County School Board recently to ask the school system to take over the full financial responsibility for the school resource officers.
Pernell, who took office in January, said that the school resource officers are taking away about 40 percent of his budget.
There are currently 11 school resource officers. Pernell said right now the Dillon School District is paying 100 percent for four officers, and he is asking that they pay 100 percent for three more officers. Latta’s District has two officers, one of which they pay.
Dillon Christian School and the ATEC also each have an officer.
Pernell said this will give the Sheriff’s Office additional funds to place more officers on the street to get calls answered. He said this will be an additional $180,000 ($150,000 for Dillon and $30,000 for Latta) that the school will be paying. This would not take effect until July 1st at the start of the new fiscal year.
After some discussion among the Sheriff, Superintendents, and board members, it was stressed by all involved that student and faculty safety was of utmost importance. It was decided that school officials would look further into the issue and try to come up with a solution.
