School Resource Officers Technology Upgrades in the Works for Alabama County Schools

Baldwin county school resource officers have been keeping connection with students through summer camps, and after the summer, an SRO will be placed at every school in the district. In addition, there will be technology updates coming to the schools.

• By Kaitlyn DeHaven
• July 22, 2019

School resource officers are making a big difference in Baldwin County, Ala. through relationships, interventions, and being there when necessary.

This next school year, Baldwin county schools will now have a school resource officer at every school in order to safeguard the schools from violence. However, these officers haven’t been on summer break, they’ve been keeping the connection going with the students they’re protecting through summer camps.

“It creates a cohesiveness where they trust you,” Corporal Jeff Spaller said. “You are not just a uniform, you’re a person behind the uniform. When they have issues, they come and talk to you about them and they treat you as a friend, not just an officer.”

The district is allotting $1.5 million for officer’s salaries paid for by the school system.

“So, it enables an agency to go out and hire that SRO and equip them at $75,000. Now, it’s costing them $25,000 because they have $50,000 coming from the board,” Baldwin County Sheriff Huey Mack Jr. said.

Last school year, school resource officers seized five weapons at four different schools, all guns and one shot gun, according to NBC 15.

Baldwin County has some other developments coming to campuses this fall, in that there will be video monitors at each entry at every school, cameras in and outside of hallways, panic buttons and key card door-locking mechanisms.

“You know mistakes are going to be made, we just hope that mistakes are minimal and that we don’t make them twice,” Superintendent Eddie Tyler said.

In addition, the schools will be issuing computer laptops and tablets. When a student logs in, whether they are at home or in school, the computer will monitor all activity looking for signs of danger or bullying.