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New SROs take posts at four schools
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DeKalb Countys Five School Resource Officers are, from left, Louis Carrick, Terry Cowart, Jr., Roger Whitehead, Chris McMillen, Kenneth Whitehead and Sheriff Patrick Ray.
As of Monday morning, all DeKalb County schools have a School Resource Officer (SRO) on duty.The four new officers have completed the required training and are posted at their respective schools.According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, Officer Terry Cowart, Jr. is the new SRO at Smithville Elementary School.Officer Roger Whitehead is stationed at Northside Elementary School.Officer Chris McMillen is the new SRO at DeKalb Middle School.Officer Louis Carrick is at DeKalb West School, while Officer Kenneth Whitehead remains at DeKalb County High School“The new SRO's just completed a 40-hour intense School Resource Officer Training Seminar in Williamson County,” the Sheriff said.“They graduated last Friday, and started Monday morning at the schools to which they were assigned.”Ray said he and the officers met with faculty members before their first day of work, and he has weekly meetings planned with the officers.“Each school resource officer and I met with their principal, some of the teachers, and some of the students,” Ray said.“We were made to feel very welcome in each and every school. I plan to meet with the SRO's every week to discuss what is going on at each school to keep me up to date. That way I can pass information on to the deputies and detectives or back to the SRO's if I need to.”Ray said the School Resource Officers role will be more complicated than simply guarding the school from intruders.“The main goal of the school resource officer is to prevent juvenile delinquency.,” he said.“He does that by promoting positive relations between youth and law enforcement.”“These five school resource officers are not just cops on the school campus.