RESOURCE OFFICERS SEE RESULTS OF EDUCATING LOCAL STUDENTS

A trend last year of local students abusing their parents
prescription drugs has declined this year, but illegal narcotics
remains a concern, an official said.

"We made 62 drug arrests," said Maj. Bill Kennedy, a Rutherford
County Sheriff's Office administrator who oversees school resource
officers (SROs). "It's higher than we want it. For a system as large
as ours, it's still a low percentage of kids."

Although marijuana and other illegal narcotics are a problem, Kennedy
said he's pleased how his 36-officer division has gotten the word out
to parents about keeping their prescription drugs away from their children.

SROs interact with the students, teachers and parents as a way to
prevent crimes, and many are pleased to have officers protecting the
district's 33,000 students attending 38 schools.

Kennedy shared SRO stats for the current school year, from August
through Feb. 9.

"I think they're doing a good job," Central Middle parent Sharon Warren said.

Central Middle SRO Tami Hellvig, for example, made a positive
difference with a girl who was interested in law enforcement,
seventh-grade English teacher Pat Young said.

"Who would have thought that this problem child wanted to be a police
officer," Young said. "I thought it was the grandest thing. SROs are
such an important part of the system. Their presence in the building
makes a world of difference. Students need to see the officers are
there for them."

SROs in recent years have seen a significant drop in weapons
confiscation going from 65 in 1998-99 to a low of 3 in 2001-02. This
year the officers have confiscated seven weapons, but none of them
was a firearm, Kennedy said. Five were knives, and the other-two are
look-a-like firearms that are actually air guns.

The key proactive step that prevents crime on campus is SROs
interacting with students. Officers have conducted 5,695 classroom
lectures through Feb. 9, Kennedy said.

"We're on track to teach more classes than last year," Kennedy said.

SROs use different curriculum and various instructional methods to
appeal to all the K-12 students, Kennedy added.

"We have everything from 'Deputy Glenn,' our robotic dog for our
littlest students, all the way to crime scene investigation and
Fourth Amendment rights with seniors in high school," Kennedy said.

SROs sometimes inspire students to be officers. A former SRO at
Oakland High, Kennedy said three of the students he used to deal with
became SROs, including Joey King, the officer assigned to Barfield
Elementary School.