HAMBLEN COUNTY, Tenn. — The Hamblen County Sheriff's Office said they swore in officers for their newly-formed School Resource Officers Unit on Wednesday.
They said they received a state grant to fund the sheriff's office's hiring of 18 SROs. It was part of Governor Bill Lee's announcement that the state would place a certified SRO in every public school across Tennessee.
HCSO said they applied for the grant and it was immediately approved. They said 14 of the newly sworn-in SROs would be in place by the beginning of the school year.
"We already had two SROs in the school system, we have three individuals from within the department transferring to the SRO Unit, and we have hired nine new ones," said David Cribley, a captain at HCSO. "At present, we are in the process of testing for the remaining four."
They said the grant provides $75,000 per SRO, meant to cover their salaries, benefits, training, equipment and other costs.
“Starting a new unit is costly,” Sheriff Chad Mullins stated. “Although $75,000 is a substantial amount of money, it doesn’t come close to what is required to get these SROs established, trained and into the schools to protect our kids.”
He said the startup costs were also covered by the Hamblen County Board of Education and Morristown. He said they would continue contributing money to help with the costs. Their money would not go towards the SRO's salaries but could be used for other costs.
"We have worked tirelessly to get our SROs in place so parents, teachers and students can start the new year feeling safe," said Cribley. "Our SROs are excited about their new roles and are anxious to meet their students and faculty members."
