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ELKINS -- The final step in placing a full-time Prevention Resource Officer at Elkins High School was taken during the Randolph County Commission's regular meeting Thursday at the James F. Cain Courthouse Annex.
Commission President David Kesling along with fellow Commissioners Cris Siler and Chris See, who attended the meeting via phone, unanimously approved a pair of measures that will give the county three PRO officers in the county. There is currently one officer stationed at Elkins Middle School and another at Tygarts Valley High School.
The commission approved an agreement with the Randolph County Board of Education and also accepted a Medical Cannabis Grant that will provide $15,000 toward the new officers' salary and benefits, which are approximately $70,000 per year. The remainder of the new salary and benefits will be split between the county commission and the Randolph County Board of Education, as part of the two sides' agreement. It will cost each approximately $27,500 per year.
"We worked with the Board of Education to make sure we got this third officer in place at Elkins High," Kesling said. "They (the BOE) approved their end of the deal at a meeting Tuesday night and with us approving these two items today, our part is done as well. With Elkins High School being the largest school in the county, we really needed an officer there."
Having an officer at Elkins High School will also be beneficial to two other schools in the county, as Midland Elementary and the Randolph Technical Center are right next door to EHS.
"The PRO program with Deputy Hebb and Sergeant Pennington has been instrumental in developing relationships with the kids in these schools," said RCSO Chief Deputy B.T. Sharp. "Kids interact very well with our officers and they have a rapport with the kids who feel very comfortable coming up and talking to them. There have been several instances where we have had cases generated because of the kids coming up and talking to our officers."
The County Commision and Sheriff's Office will also provide the officer with a marked cruiser and law enforcement equipment needed for the job. Sheriff Rob Elbon told The Inter-Mountain later in the evening on Thursday that Corporal Ethan Carr has been selected as the PRO officer to be stationed at EHS. Carr is an EHS alum and could be placed in the school as early as next week.
"They're a visible presence in our schools and if something would ever happen, they are right there in the school," said Sharp. "They have been well-received within the schools and the community. The addition of another officer at Elkins High School is a good thing."