The purpose of the SRO (School Resource Officer) Program is to protect the youth of our community and intervene in the cycle of delinquency through the youth programs designed to promote the values of educational and personal success; and to provide an expeditious referral service for social, economic and psychological problems which might result in dependency or violent behaviour.
The Meriwether County School System currently has three officer assigned to the schools.
o Chief SRO – Royce Thompson (SRO Division since 1998)
o SRO Sergeant Roxie Hightower (SRO Division since 2005)
o SRO Alva Sullivan (SRO Division since 2007)
Our SRO’s have built a reputation of being competent and effective. Much of the success of these officers working within our schools can be credited to the commitment and partnership between the School System and Sheriff Chuck Smith. The SRO’s have worked hard to develop and sustain trusting relationships within the schools, which leads to collaborative problem solving. SRO’s also offer a high quality of service from athletic security, theft investigation, traffic control, student counseling, contact with school staff and parents, lock down drills and law enforcement classes to much more.
Meriwether County School System consists of seven schools. These officers work long hours during a normal work week. Sometimes 14-16 hours a day without complaining. Always understanding that at the end of the day “It’s all about the safety of the children”.