Deputies returning to Chester Co. schools

The return of Chester County sheriff’s deputies to the halls of the county’s schools is likely to help restore peace of mind about the safety of students.

A little over a year ago, Chester County school officials opted to replace four deputies who had been serving as resource officers in Chester, Lewisville and Great Falls with private security guards. School officials said the private officers would be less expensive overall but also would provide greater security because an officer could be stationed at each of the county’s nine school campuses.

The move caught Sheriff Alex Underwood by surprise. He and other law enforcement officials in the county questioned whether the private guards could provide the same quality of security as trained deputies.

Defender Services of Columbia, the private contractor that provided the security guards, insisted that its employees were trained by the State Law Enforcement Division and that many of them were former police officers or deputies. But private security guards don’t receive the extensive training police officers go through at the state Criminal Justice Academy.

Police receive more than 500 hours of training, including special training to deal with someone wielding a gun in a public place such as a school. And Chester County’s school resource officers received an additional 160 hours of training in how to deal with children and other situations unique to schools.

Local law enforcement officials weren’t the only ones to object to the new policy. County Council and school board members said they were frequently questioned by residents about why the change had been made.

Then-Superintendent Agnes Slayman was a key figure in that decision. But Slayman resigned last year amid allegations that she bullied employees and others and created a hostile work environment.

Her departure might have been a factor in reassessing the need for using deputies to patrol schools. And last week, after considerable discussion, County Council members gave their support for a plan to hire three deputies as school resource officers and split the $126,807 cost with the school district – similar to the arrangement the county and school district had before the deputies were replaced with private guards.

If the proposal is adopted, county schools would have both deputies and private security officers patrolling campuses. Several council members said they would like to assign more than three deputies to the schools, but the cost might be prohibitive.

Nonetheless, the return of three deputies is likely to reassure residents about the level of security at local schools.

We salute both school and county officials for their willingness to review this controversial issue and to address the concerns of residents. This is an example of responsive government.

The presence of officers on school campuses is especially crucial in Chester County, where many of the schools are located in relatively isolated rural areas. With officers on site, they can respond to an emergency immediately.

Ultimately, the paramount issue is student safety. And in this case, the highest-ranking law enforcement officer in the county has advised a return to the use of deputies as resource officers.

We commend elected officials for listening to him and to constituents, for engaging in a reasonable discussion of the situation and for putting the safety of the children first.

This story was originally published May 14, 2016 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Deputies returning to Chester Co. schools."